The textile industry is among the greatest industrial sectors in magnitude and 2nd when it comes to employment in India. This industry contributes 14% towards the total industrial production, 4% towards the total GDP and employs 35 million people and therefore, contributes considerably towards the Indian economy. Earlier, the Indian textile industry was more manual work-oriented and for that reason, the workforce possessed the best set of skills, that was handed down from generations to generations too. However, because of the advancements in textile production and processing technologies, this market is forget about old-age skill-centric. There’s an excuse for highly trained work in the market which lack of skilled work is proving itself to be a significant work issue.

The lack of skilled work seemed to be highlighted lately by Srihari Balakrishnan, a board person in Indian Texpreneurs Federation (ITF). According to ITF, the textile industry around Coimbatore, Tirupur, Karur and a part of Bengaluru is facing the lack of work and mainly the skilled ones. These industries require 3-5 lakh workers at any time.

Aside from the spinning sector, the textile market is highly fragmented anyway because of policy limitations associated with work laws and regulations and also the fiscal advantages open to small-scale units. The textile units are mainly involved in job work (sub-contracting) structure and therefore a sizable area of the employment is incorporated in the fragmented production activities. Also, the little units don’t have an explicit demarcation of job functions for example sourcing, sales, etc. Though all segments in textile industry suffer a serious lack of skilled work spinning, being (mostly) the organised sector, is slightly faring better than these.

This work issue has emerged because of various social, economic and political reasons. A number of them are:

· Price of skilling or training is high and textile industries are unwilling to impart any training towards the work that increases their cost.

· The attrition rate of skilled and unskilled work has arrived at 7-8%. Workers are now able to find job possibilities near their houses because of growing rural economy. For that comfort and wages, skilled work migrates with other sectors from textile sector, where they need to face tough working conditions and occasional wages.

· Benefits received under MNREGA for 100 days in hometown result in the workers live there itself.

However, to create the problem in check, Textile Sector Skill Council (TSC), a non-profit organisation, is trying to create a robust ecosystem for training and skilling individuals textile mills and handloom sectors. The TSC is promoting 88 qualification packs that list the competencies needed for that 80% job roles in textile mills and handloom sectors. The nation’s skill development council declares these because the national standards. The Modi Government’s skilling target is 400 million by 2022. For the similar, the federal government has announced Rs. 1,300-crore Plan for Capacity Building in Textile Sector (SCBTS). With your efforts, we’re envisioned having the surplus skilled work of 47 million by 2025.

The Indian textile industry can’t afford to disregard this work issue of skilling its workforce to help keep on producing and conveying quality textile goods. Skilled work is very important in other words imperative for that Indian textile industry to achieve an aggressive edge on the planet textile market.