Tap here for manual workers

This article has been modified. Please see clarification at the end

India's on-demand start-up segment is giving rise to a new breed of entrepreneurs and blue-collar workers are key for their ventures.

Taskbob, a Mumbai-based on-demand service start-up, enables consumers to tap on-an-app carpenters to electricians who can fix bulbs or a table for a small fee. It has over 300 electricians, plumbers, carpenters and drivers who are deployed when customers ask for the service.

"Apart from background checks and verification, all servicemen hired by the company undergo training over 4-5 days. This includes classes on soft skills as well as technical training," said Aseem Khare, founder and chief executive of Taskbob. This segment of workers is highly unorganised, which start-ups expect to change as they train them to command a premium.

Sean Blagsvedt, the founder and CEO of Babajob.com, a portal that connects employers to informal sector employees, said, “There has been a huge growth in retail space that has marked entry level services in India. Currently, we have 3.5 million job seekers and close to one million openings on our platform. The segment is particularly growing due to technology platforms.”

At PepperTap, an on-demand grocery delivery firm, workers are provided refresher courses every two weeks in addition to induction training. "Training is important because they are the representatives of the company at the customer front," said Navneet Singh, chief executive officer and co-founder of PepperTap.

The use of smartphones and gadgets has had a positive effect on the way work is carried out in the segment. "Until a couple of years ago, all the inventories were carried out manually," said Mukesh Singh, founder and chief executive officer of Zopnow, an online grocery startup in Bengaluru. "This has changed with the effective use of technology and has increased efficiency," he added.

The improved expertise the workers gain also helps them. "There have been instances where delivery boys have climbed the ladder to become logistics managers. They create inventories and manage catalogues. This is a motivation for others too," he added.

Startup founders said there was also a new pride attached to blue collar jobs now. "Over time, service providers are aligning themselves to the concept of a shared economy where they are their own masters. They do not have to depend on their local hardware stores for jobs," said Debadutta Upadhyaya, co-founder and chief executive officer, Timesaverz.com, another on-demand services startup.

While professionalism is gradually being imbibed by most employees, punctuality and handling a bad situation remain common hurdles for companies.

The unorganised market for blue collar jobs in India was an estimated $2-3 billion (Rs 12,840-19,260 crore) and was set to grow with rising valuations of startups, said Khare. According to Mukesh Singh, a delivery boys' average basic salary is Rs 10,000-12,000, it can go up to Rs 19,000-20,000, depending on the work and incentives.

Manish Sabharwal, chairman of Teamlease Services, said there were companies that were changing the scene in logistics. "The hyperlocal services segment is ripe for revolutionising unskilled workers, but I do not see a complete change in the way the work is done now. The revolution can happen through training and certification," he added.

Sabharwal said the National Skill Development Mission was taking cognizance of the revolution in e-commerce and logistics. "What the companies can do is work with the government, policy makers and other employers to make a difference. These companies are not in isolation. There is a real possibility that skilling will emerge. I think it has happened in the taxi aggregator market," he added.

Industry players also expect the National Skill Development Mission to develop the sector and bring in more skilled individuals. "As of now, there is enough supply in the market. But as the industry grows, there will be more demand for human resources. That is when such programmes prove to be useful," said PepperTap's Singh.

CLARIFICATION
Previous version of this article misquoted Babajob.com CEO that his company has a million openings and same number of job seekers on its platform. The company has 3.5 million job seekers and one million openings at its platform.