Blue-collar worker demand back to normal, says data

Chandigarh: A massive resurgence in demand for blue-collar workers from food and grocery delivery segments has been observed where the demand is back at 100% of pre-covid levels. According to data captured by Vahan’s app the delivery sector which saw decline in jobs during the lockdown is now creating 2.5 - 3 lakh delivery jobs every single month buoyed by IPL and the festive season. This is followed by hiring from manufacturing, ancillary and BPO sector.

Vahan, a digital start-up that uses novel WhatsApp-based virtual assistant to automate hiring of blue-collar workforce, saw a rapid surge in uptake of its technology solution by both job seekers and job providers looking to get connected, given its simplicity and speed in closing the entire transaction from prospecting to closure.

Madhav Krishna, Co-founder and CEO, Vahan said , “Demand for blue-collar jobs which saw an overall dip during the covid lockdown has witnessed sharp recovery led by the delivery segment which include food as well as grocery delivery. This trend points to growing consumer optimism in India about Covid-19 economic recovery. Blue-collar industry is an underserved market in India. At Vahan, we are leveraging the power of technology to create India’s employment exchange 2.0 that seamlessly connects employers and job seekers effectively, with speed and at an unprecedented scale.”

Interest in Vahan’s placement solution is high as it is pivoted around WhatsApp which is ubiquitously popular among the SEC D&E workers and the simplicity with which the entire process is executed.

Meanwhile, India has over 320 million blue-collared workers, and this number is growing with decline in agricultural employment and addition of around 7-8 million new college graduates to the work force every year, 60% of which lack employability skills, and end up joining blue/grey-collar work force. This presents a massive opportunity for placement in the blue-collar industry.