Happy in hometown, not hurrying to office

Migrant Workforce In Junior, Mid-Levels Drawn By Improved Infra, Lower Costs In Small Cities

- Namrata Singh

Mumbai: With the fully vaccinated share of the workforce expanding, organisations may call their employees back to offices while adopting new work models. However, staffing companies said there is a section of the migrant population that is unlikely to return to the cities where they used to work pre-pandemic. These roles may either continue to be carried out remotely or filled in by local talent.

Adecco India CMD Vidya Sagar Gannamani told TOI around 15% of those who migrated to their hometowns are considering permanently residing there as they benefit from the lower cost of living. Additionally, their hometowns are less congested compared to bigger towns and they benefit from the improved infrastructure and connectivity that is now available in smaller cities.

Nearly 70% of the migrant workforce is in the junior to mid-management levels, according to Adecco. At the senior management level, the number is 10-15%. Many mid-sized and large businesses have extended their operations to tier-2 and -3 cities due to the growing availability of local talent, cost arbitrage, competitive wages, reasonable real estate prices, and lower cost of operations.