India's labour market is likely to witness a significant shift in the economic landscape, characterised by a boom in white collar jobs and a slowdown in white collar jobs, according to Gurmeet Chadha, managing partner and chief investment officer of Complete Circle.
Speaking to NDTV Profit, Chadha said: "We are in a very uncharted territory where you probably have a blue collar boom and a white collar slowdown."
He observes that the most significant job openings currently visible on job portals are for roles such as electricians, welders, commercial truck drivers, and mechanical shop floor workers, along with opportunities at the bottom of the pyramid.
Reflecting further on this structural shift, Chadha said: "It's little early to comment on that but that probably seems to be the case where you will have a bit of a blue collar boom."
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These remarks come amid signals of a structural shift in India's labour market. The average minimum salaries for blue-collar roles rose 8.6% year-on-year, outpacing several entry-level white-collar jobs, PTI reported, citing blue and grey-collar recruitment platform WorkIndia.
Blue Collar roles recorded an average minimum salary growth of 8.6% year-on-year (Rs 15,265 in 2025 from Rs 14,056 in 2024), while several entry-level white-collar jobs grew at a comparatively slower 6.75% (Rs 15,756 in 2025 from Rs 14,760 in 2024) over the same period.
The report noted that operational roles such as delivery, driver, and automobile jobs recorded salary increases of up to 16%, while manufacturing roles grew by around 11%, reflecting intense demand for skilled operational talent.
In contrast, several administrative and support roles, typically considered white-collar, have seen far slower salary corrections despite high candidate supply.
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