More than half of informal female employees (56 per cent) prioritise non-monetary aspects such as building a career, contributing to the community, learning new skills, and supporting their passions and interests, reveals an ongoing study from business service provider Quess Corp.

This signifies the growing aspirational shift in the mindset of women representatives in the informal workforce, which is now more career- oriented and not just limited to livelihood.

Today, for an increasing proportion of female employees, job security, training and career development are becoming absolute priorities – even beyond the contents of their pay slips. From an informal employee’s perspective, women’s aspiration to ‘build a career’ via a job (18 per cent) is higher than that of men (13 per cent).

Considering the impact of the pandemic on Indian healthcare, the study reveals that 63 per cent of women from the informal economy claim that they would compromise on higher salaries in lieu of health benefits and a formal agreement, compared to only 28 per cent of men.

Furthermore, 38 per cent of female informal workers believe that the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of job security. There is also a clear indication that health and security are becoming bigger priorities for women with 16 per cent of female informal workers considering health and protection as the principal benefit of formal employment.

Female workforce participation has continued to be a challenge in India, especially during the pandemic when women took a backseat from earning a livelihood due to household responsibilities largely governed by societal norms. Today, it seems that women in the informal economy are ready to bounce back and hold great aspirations to build their careers with a yearning for job security and other benefits.

Moreover, industry reports such as that from FSG have found that among working-age urban Indian women, 83 per cent come from households with low income and that today, 88 per cent of women believe one can work outside the house after having a child, and 52 per cent of women believe that mothers with children under the age of six can work outside of the home.

As per Quess Staffing Solutions, industries such as Media & Entertainment (46 per cent share), Auto & Auto Comm (42 per cent share), FMCG/FMCD (27per cent share), Ecom/Logistics (27per cent share), IT/ITES/Education (22 per cent share) hold the highest share of women in the workforce.

Salary trends indicate that female employees earn a higher pay than their male counterparts across key industries such as Retail, FMCG, EMPI, Manufacturing, and Real Estate.

As per contract hiring trends, a large number of women are employed in roles ranging from Executives, Junior Relationship Officers, Product Consultants, Trainees, CCAs, and Sales Associates.

“The professional landscape facing women is in a state of flux. Today, one in every three women from the informal economy (33 per cent) believe that it is a lack of education that prevents them from securing a formal job, and more than half (53 per cent) believe that they need a friend or a contact inside a company to secure a formal contract. We must acknowledge the value and contribution of women to India’s informal formal economy, while simultaneously acknowledging that their requirements have now evolved,” said Lohit Bhatia, President, Workforce Management, Quess Corp Ltd.

India Inc. must invest in training and skill development for better employability of women, helping them find employment opportunities, and offer social security benefits – as opposed to simply salary considerations, he added.