Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: Economics & Social Dev.

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Community Network-based Hiring of Workers: Model Adopted by Unorganized Retail Enterprises in India


Affiliations
1 Assistant Professor, Centre for Social and Organizational Leadership, School of Management and Labor Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
2 Independent Researcher, India
     

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India’s unorganized retailing is considered as labor-intensive and frontline workers are a vital link between the enterprise and the customers. Recruitment in these enterprises is highly unstructured with attendant challenges for the employers and workers. This paper presents the recruitment model embraced by these employers who are mi grants t o Mumbai city from different states and hire workers from their native places through the local agents belonging to the same religion, caste, and subcaste. Employers prefer this model to curb competition, increase community visibility in the new cities, offer rural workers the dream of better lives, support a family from the same community in the native place, and to create a network of agents who supply them with cheap labor.
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  • Community Network-based Hiring of Workers: Model Adopted by Unorganized Retail Enterprises in India

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Authors

Aman Borkar
Assistant Professor, Centre for Social and Organizational Leadership, School of Management and Labor Studies, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India
Sayali Darne
Independent Researcher, India

Abstract


India’s unorganized retailing is considered as labor-intensive and frontline workers are a vital link between the enterprise and the customers. Recruitment in these enterprises is highly unstructured with attendant challenges for the employers and workers. This paper presents the recruitment model embraced by these employers who are mi grants t o Mumbai city from different states and hire workers from their native places through the local agents belonging to the same religion, caste, and subcaste. Employers prefer this model to curb competition, increase community visibility in the new cities, offer rural workers the dream of better lives, support a family from the same community in the native place, and to create a network of agents who supply them with cheap labor.

References