Women Represent Just 9% of India's FMCD Sector Workforce: Report

By: WE Staff | Tuesday, 26 August 2025

• India's FMCD (Fast-Moving Consumer Durables) industry clocked 30% hiring expansion in the last two years (May 2023 – May 2025)
• Women make up just 9% of the industry's workforce despite growth, which indicates a huge gender disparity
• The report emphasizes steady hiring momentum but very slow movement towards gender diversity and inclusion in the industry

India's fast-moving consumer durables (FMCD) industry has registered robust recruitment momentum with 30 percent year-on-year growth between May 2023 and May 2025, a CIEL HR report, "FMCD Sector: Talent Trends and Insights," stated.

The research is derived from data related to 1,00,000 sector executives and 1,005 jobs posted, and additional insights gathered from company career websites.

Even with the industry's strong growth, the report showed a wide gender gap—women account for only 9 percent of FMCD workers, one of the lowest across major industries.

They are particularly underrepresented in manufacturing, sales, and technical functions because of structural obstacles.

"Diversity can be a great source of competitive strength. Organizations that tackle the low participation of women will have access to a broader pool of talent and diverse insights that lead to innovation and consumer understanding—especially because women make most of the purchasing decisions," stated Aditya Narayan Mishra, MD & CEO of CIEL HR Services.

The study also underscored emerging growth opportunities outside metro cities. Tier-II cities currently represent 22 percent of job postings, spurred by growing demand for appliances and electronics. This is a sign of geographic diversification and the creation of new consumer markets.

With FMCD companies transforming from making to consumer experiences, there is an increasing demand for positions like industrial designers, data engineers, product managers, and customer success specialists.

The 14 percent of FMCD CEOs who switched companies in the last one year matched IT/ITeS trends and were higher than BFSI, retail, and manufacturing. Talent transitions are primarily within FMCD companies, stressing industry-specific talent.

Recruitment is focused in junior to mid-management roles, especially in sales, operations, and support functions, which are characteristic of the FMCD industry.