Strategy And Planning

Women form 8.7% of Indias auto manufacturing workforce: Study

October 10, 2026
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Several leading firms are already showing what is possible; the challenge now is scale. />Women account for just 8.7 per cent of the combined workforce of original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and component manufacturers in India’s automotive industry, according to a study by non-profit research organisation Good Business Lab (GBL).<br><br>The findings were discussed at a leadership convening in New Delhi on Thursday, where executives from automakers and component manufacturers, alongside women shopfloor workers and other stakeholders, discussed measures to increase women’s participation and improve retention in the sector.<br><br><!– PROMOSLOT_M –><div class=” article-detail-ad-slot=”” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/134846162.cms” height=”442″ loading=”eager” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” width=”590″></img></p> </div> <p>GBL’s three-year study covered more than 55 automotive firms, 400 stakeholders and 1,900 individuals. The organisation said the research identified and tested workplace interventions aimed at helping companies attract and retain more women as the industry seeks to expand its skilled workforce.</p> <p><b>Hiring, retention and workplace infrastructure</b></p> <p>Discussions at the event focused on reducing barriers to women entering manufacturing roles, improving access to skilled training and addressing challenges involving night shifts, last-mile transport and childcare.</p> <p>Participants also highlighted the need to focus on retention and career progression alongside recruitment. Suggested measures included clearer career pathways, workplace conditions that support long-term employment and performance metrics that encourage managers to retain women employees.</p> <p>The discussions involved representatives from Mahindra Last Mile Mobility, Padmini VNA Mechatronics, Abilities India Pistons & Rings, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India, Sansera Engineering, Asahi India Glass and other industry and ecosystem organisations.</p> <p>A separate panel brought women shopfloor associates from Abilities India Pistons & Rings, Asahi India Glass, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India and Sansera Engineering into the discussion to share their experiences of building skills and careers in automotive manufacturing.</p> <p><b>Industry calls for coordinated action</b></p> <p>The event also examined how companies could move from individual initiatives to wider adoption of <a href=inclusive workplace practices, with participants calling for continued collaboration among businesses, government and philanthropic organisations.

“The evidence increasingly mirrors what we are hearing from industry: women’s participation is no longer just an inclusion imperative, but a business necessity,” said Nirmal Deshpande, Managing Director of Good Business Lab.

“Several leading firms are already showing what is possible; the challenge now is scale,” he added, calling for solutions tested by companies to be implemented more widely across the sector.

The convening follows GBL’s September report, Powering India’s Automotive Sector: Unlocking Women’s Talent for Industry Growth, launched at the 66th annual session of the Automotive Component Manufacturers Association of India (ACMA). GBL said its next phase of work will focus on helping companies implement practical measures to increase women’s participation and support longer-term careers in automotive manufacturing.

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