India's gender wage gap at non-supervisory level grew by 5%, though dropped by 8% among supervisors: Report

By A Representative
In an important revelation, Monster India, claiming to the country’s “leading online career and recruitment resource with its cutting edge technology”, has said that while the supervisory gender wage gap may have dropped has last year by 8.1 percentage points (from 28.1% to 20%), at the non-supervisory level it has “grown by 5 percentage points.”
Pointing out that in 2016 the “supervisors earned 48.3% more than non-supervisors, compared to 38.5% in 2015 and 2014”, a report released by the high-profile consulting firm regrets, “Non-supervisors do not seem to profit much from the economic upswing of the country.”
Pointing out that the “hourly wages for non-supervisors rose by just INR 9.9 (4.5%)” last year, the report sees a clear-cut gap here also: “Female employees in supervisory positions experienced a rise in wages of INR 87.0 (33.5%) compared to only 1.1% for female non-supervisors.”
Pointing towards a “two-fold” trend, the report, titled, Monster Salary Index 2016: Gender pay report- Ready reckoner”, says, “The gender pay gap at supervisory level has dropped from 2015 to 2016 by 8.1 percentage points”, but “contrary to this, the gap at non-supervisory level has grown by 5 percentage points between 2015 and 2016.”
Calculating hourly wages, the report, which is based data from the Indian market, examines eight different urban-based sectors, but does not looks into such sectors like agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining, quarrying, electricity, gas and water supply.
The data from the Indian market analysed in this report are classified into eight different sectors: Legal and market consultancy, business activities; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Health Care, Caring services, Social work; Education and Research; Financial Services, Banking, Insurance; Transport, Logistics, Communication; Construction and Technical Consultancy; Manufacturing.
“As the analysed data was gathered online, it has some specific characteristics, such as the sectoral structure of collected observations”, the report notes, adding, “The majority of observations comes from these three sectors: Financial services, banking, insurance (23%), Manufacturing (22%), and ICT (18%).”
The report says, “The analysis presented in this report is based on the WageIndicator dataset covering the period of 3 years, from January 2014 to December 2016”, adding, “This report provides a comparison of wage and working conditions figures for three periods: calendar year 2014, calendar year 2015 and calendar year 2016.”
“The wage analysis is based on data collected from paycheck.in, Salary Calculator and Monster Salary Index from the aforementioned periods. The sample used for the analysis consists of 20,350 respondents, approximately 85.02% of which are men and 14.98% women”, the report says.
“The sample contains only employees; wages of self-employed people are excluded. Employees from different age groups, industries, and various hierarchical positions in their respective occupations are included in the sample”, the report says.
WageIndicator and Paycheck India regularly survey and evaluate the Indian market. Set up as an online volunteer survey, the data primarily stems from those people with access to the internet and who are interested in completing the questionnaire. Due to this limitation, the data mainly covers India’s formal sector.

Comments

From Kerala to Bangladesh: Lynching highlights deep social faultlines

By A Representative The recent incidents of mob lynching—one in Bangladesh involving a Hindu citizen and another in Kerala where a man was killed after being mistaken for a “Bangladeshi”—have sparked outrage and calls for accountability.

Gram sabha as reformer: Mandla’s quiet challenge to the liquor economy

By Raj Kumar Sinha* This year, the Union Ministry of Panchayati Raj is organising a two-day PESA Mahotsav in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, on 23–24 December 2025. The event marks the passage of the Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996 (PESA), enacted by Parliament on 24 December 1996 to establish self-governance in Fifth Schedule areas. Scheduled Areas are those notified by the President of India under Article 244(1) read with the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, which provides for a distinct framework of governance recognising the autonomy of tribal regions. At present, Fifth Schedule areas exist in ten states: Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan and Telangana. The PESA Act, 1996 empowers Gram Sabhas—the village assemblies—as the foundation of self-rule in these areas. Among the many powers devolved to them is the authority to take decisions on local matters, including the regulation...

When a city rebuilt forgets its builders: Migrant workers’ struggle for sanitation in Bhuj

Khasra Ground site By Aseem Mishra* Access to safe drinking water and sanitation is not a privilege—it is a fundamental human right. This principle has been unequivocally recognised by the United Nations and repeatedly affirmed by the Supreme Court of India as intrinsic to the right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution. Yet, for thousands of migrant workers living in Bhuj, this right remains elusive, exposing a troubling disconnect between constitutional guarantees, policy declarations, and lived reality.

Policy changes in rural employment scheme and the politics of nomenclature

By N.S. Venkataraman* The Government of India has introduced a revised rural employment programme by fine-tuning the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in operation for nearly two decades. The MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of employment annually to rural households and has primarily benefited populations in rural areas. The revised programme has been named VB-G RAM–G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission – Gramin). The government has stated that the revised scheme incorporates several structural changes, including an increase in guaranteed employment from 100 to 125 days, modifications in the financing pattern, provisions to strengthen unemployment allowances, and penalties for delays in wage payments. Given the extent of these changes, the government has argued that a new name is required to distinguish the revised programme from the existing MGNREGA framework. As has been witnessed in recent years, the introdu...

Aravalli at the crossroads: Environment, democracy, and the crisis of justice

By Rajendra Singh* The functioning of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change has undergone a troubling shift. Once mandated to safeguard forests and ecosystems, the Ministry now appears increasingly aligned with industrial interests. Its recent affidavit before the Supreme Court makes this drift unmistakably clear. An institution ostensibly created to protect the environment now seems to have strayed from that very purpose.

'Structural sabotage': Concern over sector-limited job guarantee in new employment law

By A Representative The advocacy group Centre for Financial Accountability (CFA) has raised concerns over the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB–G RAM G), which was approved during the recently concluded session of Parliament amid protests by opposition members. The legislation is intended to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

'Festive cheer fades': India’s housing market hits 17‑quarter slump, sales drop 16% in Q4 2025

By A Representative Housing sales across India’s nine major real estate markets fell to a 17‑quarter low in the October–December period of 2025, with overall absorption dropping 16% year‑on‑year to 98,019 units, according to NSE‑listed analytics firm PropEquity. This marks the weakest quarter since Q3 2021, despite the festive season that usually drives demand. On a sequential basis, sales slipped 2%, while new launches contracted by 4%.

Safety, pay and job security drive Urban Company gig workers’ protest in Gurugram

By A Representative Gig and platform service workers associated with Urban Company have stepped up their protest against what they describe as exploitative and unsafe working conditions, submitting a detailed Memorandum of Demands at the company’s Udyog Vihar office in Gurugram. The action is being seen as part of a wider and growing wave of dissatisfaction among gig workers across India, many of whom have resorted to demonstrations, app log-outs and strikes in recent months to press for fair pay, job security and basic labour protections.

Public responses to the niqab incident and Iltija Mufti’s legal complaint

By Raqif Makhdoomi* Following an incident in which the Chief Minister of Bihar was seen pulling aside the niqab of a Muslim woman doctor during a public interaction, the episode drew widespread attention and debate across India. Public reactions were divided, with some defending the action and others criticising it as an infringement on personal autonomy and dignity. The incident was widely circulated on social media and reported by national and international media outlets.

Search This Blog