‘Consider Cultural Stigma Attached To Blue Collar Worker As An Opportunity’

Online job portals are getting immensely popular among the job seeking youth but haven’t yet benefitted the blue collar workers. In an exclusive interview with BW Businessworld, Arpit Prakash Mathur, Founder KaamKaaj.com, a portal for blue collar job seekers speaks about GST implementation, bridging the gap between blue and white collar workers and more:

1. Do you think there will be a growth in jobs post GST implementation?

Definitely, GST has increased the cost of services and production and companies will increase their productivity to recover the impact due the same. Over the period of time this necessity of increasing the productivity will bring more job opportunities and moreover companies will also get more opportunity to set off their indirect taxes.

2. Do you think the cultural stigma attached to Blue Collar jobs in India is a challenge in promoting technical training?

Let’s consider cultural stigma attached to Blue Collar jobs as an opportunity instead of a challenge. Scope is very high due to unavailability of proper education and training.

3. How are the online recruiters bridging the gap between the blue and white-collar job seekers?

Unfortunately, Gap has not bridged yet. Searching white collar employees online is easy since long. However, blue collar job seekers are not available online as nominal percentage of this workforce aware of such portal. Recruiters still depend on headhunting or references to close positions at this level. Use friendly and proper marketing is must need to bring blue collar workforce on online platform and then only this gap will be bridged between employee and employer.

4. How can hiring for blue collar jobs help country’s economic growth?

83 per cent of the total workforce of India belongs to this sector. Proper platform and training can help country to achieve goals of projects like “Make In India” and “Skill India” and create wonders to boost the economic growth.

5. What are the initiatives that you are undertaking to provide platforms to the unorganised workforce of the country?
   1. Creating a user-friendly platform in the language which they understand.
   2. Created database of 5 lakh blue collar job seekers in just two months.
   3. Integrated Geo location based opportunities as per the required skill set.
   4. Street Fleet is educating unorganised workforce about the benefits to showcase their profile to companies.
   5. Approaching employers also to post their requirements and updating job seekers about the same through messages and application (who are using smartphones).
   6. Approaching govt. certified training wings also to arrange skill development training.

6. What kind of training do you think is required for blue collar workers to take them to next level?

First of all they should be aware of such platform. They should know the fact that they can find a job of their required skill set and nearby their location by sitting home. Our idea is so simple that one can showcase his profile by giving just a simple miss call to our support centre. Educating them about the various government recognised training wings is also important as most of the time they don’t get to know that where to approach for any particular training to improve their skill set.

Prateek Shukla

BW Reporters The author is Copy editor at BW Businessworld