For decades, employee retention in India's farms, factories and industrial workplaces was largely built around a simple promise: stable employment and reliable income.
That equation is changing.
According to Arun Leslie George, President and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) at Coromandel International Limited, frontline and operational workers are increasingly seeking something beyond job security. Their expectations now extend to career progression, skill development, workplace culture and a sense of purpose.
In an interview with People Matters, George outlined how workforce aspirations are shifting across agriculture, manufacturing and industrial sectors, why younger workers are moving away from frontline careers, and what organisations must do to remain attractive employers in an era shaped by technology, demographic change and evolving employee expectations.
At the centre of his argument is a simple but significant shift: retention is no longer determined primarily by compensation.
Instead, he believes four factors will increasingly shape whether employees choose to stay.
The workforce challenge is changing
George believes many organisations are framing the wrong problem.
"The biggest workforce challenge today is not merely the availability of labor, but the availability of the right talent with the right aspirations."
He points to three workforce shifts unfolding simultaneously across agriculture, manufacturing and industrial sectors:
- Younger workers are moving towards service-sector, gig economy and digital careers.
- Technology is increasing demand for digital literacy, data skills and problem-solving capabilities.
- Employee expectations around safety, dignity, flexibility and career progression are rising.
The result is a widening gap between workforce demand and workforce availability.
Sectors that remain critical to India's economy require a more capable and future-ready frontline workforce. Yet the available talent pool is becoming harder to attract, harder to retain and, in many cases, insufficiently prepared for changing workplace requirements.
George says the challenge goes beyond recruitment.
"Therefore, the challenge today is not just about hiring people. It is about building an employment proposition that makes careers in agriculture and industry aspirational once again."
Why younger workers are looking elsewhere
Industrial employers face a growing perception problem.
According to George, many frontline and operational roles continue to be viewed as physically demanding, location-bound and limited in terms of long-term growth opportunities.
By contrast, younger workers often associate service-sector and gig-economy jobs with:
- Faster income opportunities
- Greater flexibility
- Urban exposure
- Stronger social recognition
This creates a challenge that cannot be solved through salary increases alone.
"The challenge, therefore, goes beyond compensation. It is fundamentally about aspiration."
He notes that younger workers increasingly seek purpose, growth opportunities, learning experiences and a better quality of work life.
Unless industrial careers can provide visible progression pathways, modern workplaces and opportunities for continuous development, he expects the migration away from frontline sectors to continue despite strong demand.
Technology is raising expectations across every role
The transformation of industrial work is not limited to leadership positions or specialist functions.
George says automation, artificial intelligence and digital technologies are changing expectations across the workforce.
Workers who were once primarily responsible for operational execution are increasingly expected to interact with:
- Digital dashboards
- Sensors and automated systems
- Data-driven workflows
- AI-enabled decision-making tools
"Today, a shopfloor worker, field officer, retail store manager, or plant supervisor is increasingly expected to work with data, digital dashboards, sensors, automated systems, and, in many cases, AI-enabled decision-making tools."
As capability requirements rise, organisations must rethink how they develop and support their workforce.
George says employers need to redesign roles continuously, invest in reskilling and create cultures where technology is viewed as a productivity enabler rather than a threat.
The employability challenge
India's workforce debate often centres on talent shortages.
George sees the issue differently.
"The growing gap between industry demand and workforce availability highlights that India does not face a shortage of talent in terms of numbers, but rather a shortage of workforce readiness."
India's demographic advantage remains substantial, but employers increasingly require workers who are:
- Job-ready
- Safety-conscious
- Digitally capable
- Able to solve problems in dynamic environments
While acknowledging progress in the country's skilling ecosystem, George says stronger connections are needed between education, vocational training and industry requirements.
"The future workforce cannot be built through academic degrees alone."
He points to apprenticeships, experiential learning, industry-certified skills and continuous reskilling as increasingly important components of workforce development.
The new psychological contract
Perhaps the most significant change, according to George, is the evolution of employee expectations.
Workers are no longer seeking only employment security.
Instead, they increasingly want what he describes as employability security.
While income stability remains important, employees are placing greater value on:
- Career progression
- Skill development
- Respectful leadership
- Safer workplaces
- Better facilities
- Predictable working conditions
- Inclusive cultures where employees feel heard
"The psychological contract between employers and employees has fundamentally changed."
He contrasts today's workforce expectations with those of previous generations.
"Earlier, workers primarily asked, 'Will this job provide me with income and security?' Today, they are also asking, 'Will this job offer me growth, dignity, learning, and a better future?'"
The four factors shaping retention
George believes retention strategies must evolve alongside these changing expectations.
In his view, four factors will increasingly determine whether organisations can attract and retain frontline talent:
- Dignity of work
- Quality of managers
- Opportunities for skill-linked growth
- An emotional connection to purpose
These factors appear repeatedly throughout his assessment of workforce challenges and organisational responses.
He argues that employers need to move beyond traditional workforce management models and focus instead on workforce experience management.
That shift is already influencing how organisations approach talent strategies.
According to George, companies are investing in:
- Safer and more inclusive workplaces
- Structured skilling academies
- Apprenticeship programmes
- Clearer career pathways
- Frontline leadership development
- Recognition systems
- Digital enablement initiatives
- Community engagement programmes
However, he cautions that branding alone cannot solve retention challenges. "The employee must genuinely experience the promise being communicated."
Building the workforce pipeline
Looking ahead, George believes India must approach workforce development with the same seriousness it applies to physical infrastructure development.
He calls for stronger links between education, skilling and employment through:
- Industry-aligned curricula
- Expanded apprenticeship programmes
- Modular skill certifications
- Greater recognition for vocational careers
- Stronger rural skilling infrastructure
- Continuous reskilling for digital and AI-enabled work
At the same time, industrial workplaces themselves must evolve.
According to George, farms, factories and industrial facilities will need to become safer, smarter, more technology-enabled, inclusive and growth-oriented if they hope to attract future generations.
Ultimately, he argues that India's workforce challenge is not simply about filling vacancies. It is about creating careers that people actively choose.
Whether the country can build a workforce that is skilled, confident, mobile and future-ready may prove as important to its economic future as investments in technology, infrastructure and industrial capacity.