Electronics sector sees women outpace men in employability

TeamLease said. This means 54% of women entering the workforce possess the necessary skills to be hired on shop floors, indicating more readiness among women for entry-level shop-floor roles.

The staffing firm said women are highly sought because they demonstrate greater dexterity, consistency and process discipline. Employers also report that hiring women leads to lower absenteeism, reduced attrition and an improved work culture, Nipun Sharma, CEO, Teamlease Degree Apprenticeship told ET.

“Male workers often jump ship for minor salary bumps, whereas women prioritise a safe work environment and reliable facilities, leading to much lower attrition. In sectors like smartphone assembly, this preference has driven female workforce participation to virtually 90%,” Sharma said.

According to data from the NAPS (National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme) portal, female entry-level apprentices in the electronics sector grew 14% in FY26 to 42,237 from 37,058 in the previous year. In comparison, male apprentices declined marginally from 100645 in FY25 to 100274 in FY26.

Female participation in the electronics manufacturing sector is the highest in the southern region of the country, with iPhone manufacturers, Tata Electronics, and Foxconn having some of the highest female employee base of over 80%, industry experts said.

Sharma said the primary concern for young women entering the workforce is safety and accommodation. “The growth of female employment is significantly faster in South India, led by high-end smartphone assemblers who are replicating the China model and providing safe accommodation, food and transport within the campus,” Sharma said.

In contrast, female participation in North India, where the enclosed campus model has not been widely implemented, is far lower at 25-30%.

“Parents are not comfortable sending their daughters to work because these comprehensive safety accommodation facilities are missing. Female workers are also skipping night shifts due to a lack of safety protocols,” Sharma said.

The executive said this was being addressed by the government by setting up working women’s hostels near the factories.

That said, a massive loss of trained talent occurs when women leave the workforce due to caregiving responsibilities, typically after having a child. Almost 43% of the workforce drop off, Sharma said, as only one in four employers offer childcare facilities.

Sharma added that the rapid expansion of heavy investments in electronics manufacturing concentrated in the southern and western parts of India has created massive demand for labour that the local workforce cannot fulfill. More workers from the north and east are relocating to these hubs, he said.