Women hold just 1 in 5 blue-collar jobs, shows survey

New Delhi: Women in India’s blue-collar workforce hold just one in five jobs as wage disparities, rigid work schedules and poor sanitation continue to hold them back, according to a survey.

The survey, covering 1,262 employers and 2,673 blue-collar female employees in tier 1 and 2 cities across 14 sectors, was commissioned by job matching and hiring platform Indeed and conducted by Valuvox in February. The sectors included automobile, BFSI, construction and real estate, consumer durables, ecommerce, FMCG, healthcare and pharma, IT, logistics and manufacturing.

As much as 73% of the employers surveyed said they hired women for blue-collar roles in 2024. However, female participation is stagnant at just 20% across the country.


Some sectors are doing better than the rest, like retail (32%), healthcare and pharmaceuticals (32%), construction and real estate (30%), and travel and hospitality (28%). Telecommunications, BFSI and IT/ITeS lag with female participation below 10%.

"78% of employers are planning to hire more women in blue-collar roles in 2025, an encouraging 5-percentage-point increase in hiring intent compared to the 73% in 2024," according to a report based on the findings.

Gender gap persists

Over half of the surveyed women cited a lack of flexible shifts as a barrier. In industries like automobile, FMCG, and travel & hospitality, over half of the women surveyed felt that their wages did not reflect their work. Every second woman wanted to upskill, but access to relevant training remains a challenge.

“Our report highlights a pressing reality: 71% of women in blue-collar jobs feel undervalued. Not because they lack ambition, but because job opportunities and growth pathways are limited," said Sashi Kumar, head of sales at Indeed India.

"Employers must invest in skilling, mentorship and leadership pipelines tailored for blue-collar women,” he said, adding: “Increasing women’s participation today is more than just about diversity, it’s an economic necessity.”