Firms want men of many skills amid labour shortage and cost cutting

Hundreds and thousands of migrant workers, who had left for their home states in the early months of the Covid-19 pandemic in India, are yet to return

Vijay Singh Birua, 31, who belongs to a tribal community from Jharkhand, came to Telangana in search of work. He joined Sitaram Spinners as a cleaning staff, but quickly rose to become a machine operator, earning Rs 10,000 a month.

Birua received training for the job through a skill development programme under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana. Besides government programmes, private initiatives, too, are encouraging the workforce in labour intensive industries such as textile, leather and cement to upskill — and better still, learn multiple skills.

Multiskilling has taken centre stage in sectors such as these, which are facing labour shortage