The engineering industry in Rajkot, which is growing at more than 25 per cent a year, has hit a bottleneck in the shape of a labour shortage.
Much of the skilled labour force in the industry is from states such as Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa. Many workers have moved back to their own states, with better opportunities having opened up there. As a result, the Rajkot engineering industry is witnessing a shortage of skilled labour.
“The engineering industry is growing steadily. Plus, both the foundry and automobile engineering sectors are doing pretty well. But our dependence on workers from other states has cost us, as we now face an acute shortage of skilled manpower,” said Dhansukh Vora, president of the Greater Rajkot Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
According to Vora, Rajkot, which is well-known for its foundry and automobile engineering industries, has more than 125,000 workers connected with the engineering industry. Moreover, he expects a 50 per cent growth in new employment in the next two years.
Almost 50 per cent of the labour force hails from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa and comes down to work in several parts of Gujarat including Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar and Morbi.
