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With a view to provide job opportunities to persons with disabilities, Kishore Biyani- promoted Future Group plans to have nearly 5 % of its workforce from this segment in the next three years.
"We have to go along with the flow of the nature. There are nearly 70 million people with disabilities and the retail industry can play a major role in bringing them in the mainstream.
"As a group, we have decided to have nearly 5 % of our total workforce from this section of the society," Future Group chief Kishore Biyani said here at the sidelines of an event organised by TRRAIN foundation.
Currently, the group has a workforce of 32,000, out of which there are nearly 70-80 people from this group.
"It has been observed that the track record of lower attrition rates and higher productivity levels of such group of people has translated into direct business benefits for organisations," he said.
The retail industry, which is slated to grow from $ 500 billion to over $ 1.3 trillion by 2020, is the second largest employer providing jobs to 33 million people.
According to the report, which surveyed retail organisations, central and state government officials for the PwDs welfare, NGOs and PwDs working in the space, nearly 70 % recorded that hiring these people reduced attrition rates.
Average attrition rate of such people was 3.3 % against the industry figure of 6.8 %.
"The report also suggests that PwDs were more productive than non-disabled employees. It has also been observed that employers of these people stand to gain from a stronger brand imagine caused by improved customer perception," TRRAIN Founder B Nagesh said.
