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More women and freshers among the country's blue- and grey-collar workforce are moving beyond their hometowns for better jobs and higher pay, driving a 31.4 per cent year-on-year rise in job-related migration during January-April 2026, according to a report. A report by blue and grey-collar recruitment platform WorkIndia points to a defining moment in India's labour story, more women, more freshers, and more workers from across the country's blue and grey-collar workforce are looking beyond their home cities for better jobs, better wages, and better futures. The data shows 8.6 million job applications for cities other than applicants' own between January and April 2026, up from 6.5 million in the same period a year ago - a 31.4 per cent year-on-year increase. This far outpaces the 20.2 per cent growth in same-city applications, meaning the cross-city worker pool is now expanding more than 1.5 times faster than the local one, the report revealed. As a result, nearly 1 in 4 workers o
Employees in India are reporting significantly higher exposure to workplace disruption than the global average while also demonstrating a stronger push toward upskilling and skills validation, according to the latest Human Progress Report by Educational Testing Services (ETS). Princeton-based ETS, which is known for conducting crucial exams like TOEFL and GRE, conducted the study, which found how the Indian workforce is navigating rapid shifts in technology, job responsibilities and performance expectations, as professionals increasingly link career stability to their ability to continuously build and demonstrate relevant skills. According to the report, 86 per cent of workers in India experienced major workplace disruption in the past year, significantly higher than the global average of 67 per cent, who reported at least one major change in the past 12 months. "The findings show that workplace change is becoming a defining feature of the employment landscape in India. Many workers
Minister of Labour and Employment Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said increasing number of casual workers are getting into formal employment and with economic growth job opportunities are increasing day by day. "Day by day employment in increasing in the country, and unemployment is getting reduced. When any economy grows, employment is generated," he said during the Question Hour. To meet the rising demand of a growing economy, supply has increase for which manufacturing is required and that is where jobs are getting created, he said. The Minister further said that self-employment too has increased from 52 per cent in 2017-18 to 58 per cent. He said according to Periodic Labour Force Survey, average income of casual workers have increased from Rs 255 in FY'18 to currently Rs 418. Further, casual labourers are also shifting to formal employment. "People with regular salary have risen in the country. Casual workers are joining the formal workforce and the number of casual labourers h
Employees across sectors are expected to get a salary hike of 9.1 per cent on average in 2026, slightly higher than the increment of 8.9 per cent received last year, a survey said on Tuesday. The projected 9.1 per cent salary increase reflects a slight uptick from the actual 8.9 per cent hike recorded in 2025, which signals sustained salary movement, said global professional services firm AON, citing its 'Annual Salary Increase and Turnover Survey 2025-26 India'. The latest survey, the 32nd edition, is based on an analysis of data from more than 1,400 organisations across 45 industries in the country. The projected salary hikes will vary depending on industries, it said. The workforce in the real estate and infrastructure sectors is expected to get the maximum pay hike of 10.2 per cent on average, followed by those working in non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) at 10.1 per cent, it said. Employees in the automotive and vehicle manufacturing sectors are expected to get a hike o
If you daydream about getting a break from work, you might picture two weeks of vacation or a long weekend getaway. But some people dare to imagine something bigger and find ways to get a substantial breather from stress or their day-to-day routines. Mini-sabbaticals. Adult gap years. Micro-retirement. Extended career breaks go by many names and take many forms, from using the time between jobs to explore to taking an employer-approved leave to becoming a digital nomad or saving up for a month-long adventure. Creating space for a reset, whether mental, physical or spiritual, is the common thread. Cost, personal responsibilities and fears of being judged by colleagues, friends and family members are some of the obstacles that prevent people from hitting pause on their work lives and setting out in search of new perspectives, according to sabbatical experts and people who have taken sabbaticals. No longer just for academics ----------------------------------- American attitudes towa