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India – Greater recognition of temporary work needed to improve conditions

01 September 2014

The number of temporary workers, known locally as flexi-staff, working for the government and in the public sector increased by 720,000 between 2011 and 2013, according to figures from the Indian Staffing Federation (ISF), reports mydigitalfc.com.

According to the ISF, there are 12.3 million temporary workers already employed in the government sector, representing more than +43% of the 28 million temporary workers in India’s formal sector.

Rituparna Chakraborty, President of the ISF, commented: “In government jobs, the temps enable quick ramping up of services... [Public services] using temps can deal better with business cycles and uncertainties.”

Over 10.5 million casual workers are employed without any formal job contract, mainly in professions such as craft and trades, plant and machine operations, and elementary occupations.

Only 1.4 million workers have fixed short-term written job contracts and are generally deployed in professions that require greater skill levels, such as teaching and clerical work in offices.

Ms Chakraborty added: “We believe that various professional flexi-staffing companies can engage closely with the government sector in a transparent and flexible manner to provide formal employment to millions and also provide access to an effective matching platform, thereby addressing the acute skill and manpower shortage in this sector.”

Mohit Gupta, Director and Co-founder of recruitment firm TeamLease, commented: “A considerable number of temporary workers dependent on the government for livelihood are deprived of a decent work environment. A large number do not even receive the minimum wage.”

According to T Muralidharan, Executive Chairman of talent management firm TMI Services: “The unfair terms of employment in manufacturing, such as poor salary, and in infrastructure ma­kes the youth avoid these sectors. There’s a need to revise minimum wages and insist on fair employment terms, if the skill movement is to succeed.”

The Indian staffing market, according to the ISF, is ranked among the top five nations in terms of the absolute size but has a penetration rate of only 0.43% of the labour force.

The ISF believes that greater recognition of flexi-staffing as a legal mode of hiring is imperative in order to set suitable standards for contracting and hiring; namely a written contract between the agency and the tripartite worker specifying the nature of job, salary, benefits, and terms and conditions of the work.