According to data released from employment website Foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), the number of available jobs for women has increased by 35 per cent year-on-year in February 2023. This rise suggests a growing demand for female workers in India’s white-collar economy.
The Information Technology and Business Process Management (BPM) sector hold the largest share of available opportunities for women, at 36 per cent, as companies place greater emphasis on gender parity in the workplace. This is followed by IT/Computers-Software at 35 per cent and Banking, Accounting, and Financial Services at 22 per cent. There has also been a significant increase in job postings for women in sectors such as recruitment, staffing, or HRO (20 per cent share) and hospital, healthcare, and diagnostics (8 per cent).
Foundit has identified Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, and Pune as the leading locations in terms of open job positions for women. Around 6 per cent of the total women talent on the platform are those who have taken a career break and returned to work. Freelance roles account for 4 per cent of the total jobs for women, indicating a rise in gig-based opportunities in the white-collar economy.
Sekhar Garisa, CEO of Foundit, has stated that “Female workers have shown themselves to be hard-working, creative, collaborative and highly competitive. Women leaders worldwide have made headlines for how well they managed to stay afloat in times of great crisis. But there is still work to be done and miles to walk. Companies need to innovate their work modes to ensure flexibility, actively work to foster an inclusive workplace, and ensure that diversity extends beyond their hiring pamphlet.”
Across experience levels, women in leadership hold 8 per cent of the total share, a slight increase from 6 per cent last year. Women’s participation remains highest for intermediate-level roles, with a 24 per cent share for professionals with 3-5 years’ experience, followed by freshers at 18 per cent for professionals with 1-3 years’ experience.
Foundit has highlighted that organisations have realised that a diverse workforce boosts business performance while driving innovation and growth, enabling greater hiring for women in the technology sector. The job roles with the most significant percentage of women are customer service, call centre, and BPM at 25 per cent. IT roles hold the second-largest share at 23 per cent, followed by HR roles at 18 per cent and Sales/Business Development at 12 per cent. Interestingly, jobs with people-centric roles have a higher demand for women professionals.
The increase in job opportunities for women in India’s white-collar economy is a positive step towards achieving gender diversity and parity in the workforce. Companies must continue to prioritise and encourage diversity in their recruitment and hiring processes to enable more women to enter the workforce and progress into leadership roles.
