Health and safety concerns, possibly driven by the pandemic, were among the reasons
Health and safety concerns, possibly driven by the pandemic, were among the reasons
Bangalore
Nearly half of the women who took part in a recent survey said the pandemic had a negative impact on their career path. Even as 58% are currently in the process of rejoining the workforce, around 48% of them had quit their jobs prior to COVID-19, while 32% left during the pandemic, And 20% are now between jobs.
According to the study conducted by job portal Indeed, the top sectors where women are now rejoining are automobiles (71%), manufacturing (70%), and construction and real estate (68%). The sector with the lowest proportion of women returning to work is retail (43%).
About 58 percent of the respondents believed that female employees had left their jobs in the past two years to take on more family responsibilities, including childcare. According to the study, around 32% of women said that they left jobs due to health concerns (21%) and maternity leave (13%) related to the pandemic.
E-commerce (77%), construction and real estate and IT/ITES (70% each) are the sectors in which a high proportion of women have cited family responsibilities as the main reason. Whereas in retail, maternity leave was considered the top reason (30%) for leaving a job.
A significant proportion (39%) of employers agree with the view that female employees have left their organizations in the past two years due to family responsibilities. Some 27% said a lack of proper recognition by management was a contributing factor to women leaving, and 20% believed health and safety concerns, possibly driven by the pandemic, were the reason.
Nishita Lalwani, Senior Manager, Indeed India and South East Asia, said, “Organizations need to ensure that women are empowered to advance their careers by focusing on what companies can do to support their women employees. With organizations welcoming the female workforce, they need to ensure that they equip the female workforce with the necessary industry skills to retain and attract them.” Study 1,207 women professionals and 410 employers participated in the programme.