Promote workforce diversity but prevent a backlash

A shortage of quality jobs could stir DEI resentment but pre-emptive efforts can minimize it

- VIDYA MAHAMBARE

Employment among working-age women in urban India has increased by around 10 percentage points over the past six years. Now approaching the 30% mark, it still remains relatively low compared to our peer countries and has considerable scope for improvement.

As educated urban women increasingly take up formal high-skilled jobs, does India risk fueling the same diversity backlash in the future that the United States and other Western nations have seen? Will corporate policies designed to prevent discrimination and create inclusive environments for marginalized groups end up being discriminatory, either in perception or in reality? If yes, what can be done to avoid it?

It is widely known that quality job creation in India has lagged behind the supply of young educated job-seekers. In 2023-24, based on India's periodic labour survey data, 23% of young men (20-29 years) with graduate-level education were unemployed in urban India. The rate was even higher for their female counterparts, at nearly 32%.

It is often said that a significant proportion of our educated youth are not employable due to a lack of relevant skills. This is an outcome of our flawed education system that fails to prepare young people for jobs. From the perspective of youth, they naturally aspire to better quality jobs as they obtain higher educational qualifications from government-accredited institutions. Remember, education has been presented to them as a means to a better life.