Gender Gap in India’s Workforce: Women hold 18% of jobs, IT sector leads at 34%

Despite constituting 50% of all graduates, women remain significantly underrepresented in India’s workforce. According to the Close the Gender Gap 30X30 survey by the Udaiti Foundation in collaboration with CNBC-TV18, women hold only 18% of jobs in India’s largest companies. The survey is part of CNBC-TV18’s initiative, Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective, which aims to increase women’s workforce participation to 30% by 2030.

The survey reveals stark differences in gender representation across industries. The Information Technology (IT) sector leads with women holding 34% of jobs, followed by Banking and Financial Services (BFSI) at 26%. In contrast, women’s participation in the FMCG and Services sectors stands at 16% each, while Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals report 11%. Power and Heavy Industries rank among the least diverse, with women occupying just 4% of jobs.

To achieve the 30% workforce participation goal by 2030, businesses are being encouraged to adopt various measures.

Companies are urged to:

• Strengthen diversity-driven recruitment policies to hire more women
• Retention strategies such as flexible work arrangements, mentorship programmes, and upskilling opportunities
• Investments in leadership development and sponsorship programmes
• Clear goals for increasing women in executive roles

As India works towards closing the gender gap, collaboration between industry leaders, policymakers, and organisations is regarded as essential. CNBC-TV18’s Future. Female. Forward – The Women’s Collective will continue to monitor progress and showcase practices driving change in workforce diversity.

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