Page 40 - Shelter, October 2024

POLICY REVIEW
CONSTRUCTION AND HOUSING SECTOR IN
INDIA: MANPOWER REQUIREMENTS AND
RAMAKRISHNA
NALLATHIGA, PhD
Faculty Member, School of
Architecture, Planning and Real
Estate, NICMAR University, Pune
nramakrishna@nicmar.ac.in
38 HUDCO-HSMI Publication
SKILLING NEEDS
Construction and housing growth and the country reaps
industry is a major contributor
demographic dividend benefits.
to the economic growth and
development of the nation. India 1. Introduction
is experiencing a great upsurge in India is poised for a rapid
its economy and so also there is a growth since after the opening
growing demand for skillsets that up of the economy through
match the industry requirement. the pursuit of liberalisation
The rising share of construction policies in 1992. The economy
and housing sector in the overall has been growing steadily
economic output would require and the economic growth
matching workforce availability is expected to be around
7-7.5 per cent during the
with requisite skillsets. Personnel current fiscal year. This is
with different skillsets are particularly the case when
required at levels for executing structural changes have been
housing and infrastructure taking place in the Indian
development projects. The economy in terms of the share
structure of work force gives a of output or employment,
clear indication that much of it with an increasing role
is not even skilled in terms of played by the tertiary
basic education and much of it is sector (or, services sector)
not functionally skilled. Skilled along the corresponding
work force is still in shortage decline of primary sector
in India and these shortages (or, agricultural sector).
are only rising with increasing Manufacturing sector share
investments in the construction has more or less remained
and housing sectors. Although the same in terms of the value
of production (or, output)
there are some general initiatives while the employment
of the government and industry under it has decreased due
specific initiatives, there is a large to the modernisation and
gap that needs to be filled through automation of production
education, vocational training facilities. While some of the
and skill building initiatives so economists consider the
that the young working force output and employment
can contribute to economic shift towards services sector