Women constitute just 19 per cent of the sales workforce in India: Report

Women are just 19 per cent of the sales workforce in India according to a report released on ThursdayThe report by online professional network LinkedIn shows that women occupy only 13 per cent of sales leadership roles in India The IT services and retail sectors have shown to be the most inclusive for women with 27 per cent and 23 per cent of women respectively working in sales rolesOn the other hand the pharmaceutical 10 per cent manufacturing 14 per cent and automotive industries 14 per cent have an opportunity to take more proactive measures to address the gender gap and create a more inclusive and diverse sales workforceThe report suggests organisations use a skillsfirst approach to hiring that can not only ensure sales teams and talent hiring pipelines are more inclusive for women but also provide them with equal opportunities to pursue a career in sales It also bodes well for the overall businessThere remains a concerning gender gap in sales roles across the country but there is hope on the horizon as employers proactively combat unconscious bias by embracing skillsfirst hiring This approach values a professionals ability and contribution over their gender said Ruchee Anand Senior Director Talent and Learning Solutions LinkedIn India in a statementDiversity is important across all job functions and especially in sales because it boosts creativity encourages innovation and inspires a skillsfirst culture all of which is key to business growth and success today Adopting this skillsfirst mindset will also ultimately lay the foundation for increased boardroom diversity bringing a wealth of fresh perspectives and ideas to Indias business world she addedWhile there is a gender gap in the sales workforce the data on women in sales shows that tierI cities such as Hyderabad 26 per cent Bengaluru 25 per cent and Chennai 22 per cent have the most number of women sales professionals in the countryBut sales organisations in tierII cities such as Ahmedabad 14 per cent Lucknow 13 per cent and Jaipur 13 per cent promise vast potential to bring more women into their workforcesFurther the report showed that a majority 62 per cent of women hired in sales today come from nonsales functions like marketing and business developmentThis highlights the value of having the right transferable skills which allows women more opportunities to transition to sales rolesIt also indicates that many organisations are already combating unconscious bias by focusing less on degrees gender or previous sales experience and more on finding talent whose skills match the roleThe report is based on an analysis of over three million LinkedIn profiles of sales professionals in IndiaRead More Toxic work culture Humiliation at workplace is driving employees to quitThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever