Over two-thirds of India’s blue-collared employees earn less than Rs 15,000 a month: report

The report, which analysed a database of over a million employees across 850 districts in India, revealed that less than 15% of the employee base earns between Rs 20,000 and Rs 40,000 per month — showcasing a vast majority of the country’s population that earns less than a livable wage.

“For a long time, the topic of jobs — or rather, the lack thereof — has dominated India’s economic discourse. While the headline employment/unemployment numbers get a lot of attention, another set of numbers that is equally significant — who gets paid how much — doesn’t get much attention. It is time companies bring in interventions that highlight this huge gap”, said Nikhil Goel, CEO & CoFounder of SalaryBox.

The report also pointed out the wide disparity in the country’s gender pay, with female workers earning Rs 12,398 on an average — 19% less than their male counterparts. While male workers comprise 73% of the workforce, females account for a paltry 27%.

Lastly, logistics and transport, information technology, software, and tailoring emerged as the highest-paying industries for women workers. In contrast, employees working in supermarkets, grocery/kirana stores, and the garments/textile industries are paid at the lower end of the scale, with an average monthly salary of Rs 8,300.