Apparel April 2019 Apparel April 2019 issue | Page 41

INDUSTRY INSIGHTS
needs are spread out across various industries,
textiles and clothing continue to be those in
greatest need. According to Ministry figures, the
apparel and textile sector will require an increase
in workforce from 36 million people in 2008 to
nearly 62 million by 2022.
Now, the Indian apparel and textile industry
alone is a key contributor to India’s national
wealth, with a 14 per cent contribution to
industrial production and a four per cent
contribution to the GDP. It employs over 45
million people directly and nearly 25 million
people indirectly, making it the largest source for
employment in the nation.
The strength of the industry’s workforce
is essential, given the labour-intensive tasks
entailed. Their efforts account for the Indian textile
industry, contributing to over 15 per cent of total
exports and growing from the current US$150
billion industry to US$250 billion in the next five
years. This ambitious 8.7 per cent compounded
annual growth rate is based on the hopes of the
2017 Central Government policy which expects
to push textile exports to US$300 billion by 2025.
None of this would be possible if the Indian textile
industry’s labour force hadn’t grown by well over
THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT
NEED TO UNDERSTAND THE
BROADER CONTEXT IN WHICH
THE URGENT NEED FOR
SKILL TRAINING BECOMES
NECESSARY.
65 million strong, and more importantly, if they
were not upgraded in their skills and training.
SKILLS CHALLENGE AND
DEVELOPMENT PLANS
There is a significant need to understand the
broader context in which the urgent need for skill
training becomes necessary. India is a young
nation and the India growth story is largely
predicated on these young people. With a rich
and diverse demographic spectrum, one would
think that this would be a clear advantage.
After all, India is a young nation with 45 per
APPAREL
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April 2019
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