The report released by Indeed, the job site, titled "The Pulse of India's Blue Collar Workforce", sheds light on the representation of men and women in the blue-collar workforce in India, as well as the diversity and work culture in blue-collar organizations. The findings of the report are encouraging as over 95 per cent of female blue-collar employees are confident that they receive equal pay and 93 per cent of male blue-collar employees believe the same.

Moreover, the report reveals that the blue-collar workforce is content and has a positive motivation towards solving challenges at work, which ultimately increases efficiency and productivity in this sector. In terms of employee action, if they were to discover unequal pay, 67 per cent of employees would most likely speak to their manager, while 21 per cent would leave their job. Interestingly, 70 per cent of female employees would speak to their boss, whereas 65% of male employees would do the same. Only 18% of female employees would leave their job compared to 23% of male employees.

Additionally, the report highlights the difference in reaction between millennials and Gen Z. Employees aged 25-34 are more likely to leave their job if they found out they weren't receiving equal pay, compared to those aged 18-24. This disparity indicates that there may be a need for companies to consider the priorities and preferences of different age groups while developing their policies.

The report indicates that blue-collar employees are happy at work, with a whopping 96 per cent of employees agreeing that their company provides additional benefits/support in the form of mental support, financial support, retirement benefits, and flexible work, among others. Furthermore, 90 per cent of employees agree that their company has a good work/life balance, demonstrating that employees are satisfied with the company policies and systems.

The survey also shows that 46 per cent of blue-collar employees believe that they have an excellent representation of women in their workplace, which has a positive impact as 87 per cent of blue-collar workers feel more confident, motivated, or inspired when there is equal representation of women in their company. Additionally, 80 per cent of blue-collar workers said diversity at work makes them more likely to stay working there, while 73 per cent said they are more likely to go above and beyond for the company.

Employers are also working towards achieving gender equality within their companies by implementing processes and systems. The top four things that employers surveyed are currently doing include offering the same salary to male and female employees for the same job role (61 per cent), offering the same incentives to male and female employees (61 per cent), having zero tolerance for sexual harassment and gender discrimination (53 per cent) and avoiding the use of gender stereotypes/non-inclusive language (45 per cent).

The research conducted by Censuswide on behalf of Indeed included 508 employers and 1001 employees in the blue-collar segment. Out of the 1001 employees in the blue-collar segment, 653 were male, and 348 were female. The report concludes that the blue-collar segment has been faring well, with hiring seeing positive growth in the last two years. With the rise of the gig economy, there is expected to be a 9 million gig workforce in the making by 2025. The data shows that men and women in blue-collar work are more or less on the same page when it comes to equal pay, equal gender representation, and the benefits of it.