Women in informal economy have greater career aspiration than men: Study

They wanted health benefits and formal job agreement over money in their jobs

As many as 18 per cent of women working in India’s informal economy want to "build a career" compared to 13 per cent men, said a private firm’s research on Tuesday about jobs that are typically low paid and temporary.

"According to the study that is underway, more than half of informal female employees (56 per cent) prioritize non-monetary aspects such as building a career, contributing to the community, learning new skills, and supporting their passions and interests," said staffing firm Quess Corp.

As many as 63 per cent of women wanted health benefits and formal job agreement over money in their informal jobs. As many as 28 per cent men made such a preference.

"We must acknowledge the value and contribution of women to India's informal formal economy, while simultaneously acknowledging that their requirements have now evolved. India Inc must invest in training and skill development for better employability of women, helping them find employment opportunities, and offer social security benefits to a wider employable population," said Lohit Bhatia, president of workforce management at Quess Corp.

Women wanted in gig workforce

According to a separate report by gig discovery platform Taskmo, last year demand for women gig workers increased around ten-fold.

"There are plenty of roles in which women gig workers are specifically preferred, like content moderation, business executives, telecalling, and other marketing and communication roles," said Prashnat Janadri, co-founder at Taskmo.

According to Taskmo Gig Index (TGI), the rise in jobs for women may be attributed to remote work opportunities.

"Overall 68 per cent of digital work opportunities are grabbed by women gig workers which offers them the flexibility to work remotely. The pandemic has catapulted the growth of the gig sector as people and companies started working remotely. There is around a 300 per cent increase in the number of telecaller executives from March 2022 to February 2023," the report said.  

As many as 83 per cent of women gig workers belong to the age group of 19-35 years, it added.