Job Openings For Women Surge 35% In India's White-collar Sector: foundit

foundit (formerly Monster APAC & ME), one of India's talent management platforms, released data about the rising demand for women in the Indian white-collar economy. The data revealed that there had been a 35 per cent increase in jobs for women candidates in Feb '23 when compared to Feb '22.

Women's workforce participation has primarily increased due to two factors. First, women who dropped out of work during the pandemic to become full-time caregivers have now re-joined the workforce, and second, focused efforts by India Inc to increase female participation in the workforce. These include introducing benefits such as menstrual leaves and childcare, introducing programs to fight bias in the workplace, allowing flexibility at work, and diversity-focused hiring, among others.

The data also said that 6 per cent of the total women workforce on the platform are those who have taken a career break and returned to work. Moreover, 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, foundit (formerly Monster, APAC & ME) said, "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. There is a radical need for increasing women participation in the workforce across all sectors if we were to achieve our dream of becoming a 5 trillion-dollar nation. At foundit, 34 per cent of the total workforce comprise women and this is certainly a growing number. 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."

According to online hiring trends by foundit, the IT/BPO sector holds the greatest share of available opportunities for women, at 36 per cent, reflecting the growing awareness of gender parity in the workplace. Organisations have also realised that a diverse workforce boosts business performance while driving innovation and growth, enabling greater hiring for women in the technology sector. IT/Computer-Software (35 per cent) has the second highest share, followed by Banking/Financial Services/Accounting (22 per cent).