Study: Diversity in the workforce – why it is good for business (Deshpande, ILO, IDSN)
This study argues that a greater socio-economic diversity in the workforce at all levels of employment, by which we mean greater representation or inclusion of groups which have been traditionally marginalized, such as Dalits, and under-represented in organized employment, will not only have extremely positive repercussions for society as a whole, but more importantly, would make good business sense. Evidence across all states in India and in different sectors indicates that access to productive employment and decent jobs remains confined to a few sections of the workforce. Labour is divided by caste, religion, region, all of which overlap with class and gender with some castes and religious groups practically absent in the top echelons of the private corporate sector. Section II of the study contains a brief discussion of which groups are marginalized, excluded, under-represented and why. Section III demonstrates how dealing with exclusion and adopting a non-discriminatory policy is not only possible for the private sector, it is mandated by international convention. Section IV discusses how this problem is similar to the situation in racially divided advanced countries, such as the USA, UK, and other European countries and the measures taken in these societies to redress under-representation. Section V discusses the implications of the previous section for India and the specific steps which the private sector has adopted and additional steps it can adopt. The Appendix contains the code of conduct to promote affirmative action adopted in 2011 by the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and the All India Organisation of Employees.