Resurfacing a May 2023 report: Apprentice stipends rose across apparel, FMCG and consumer sectors in FY22: TeamLease

Resurfacing a report first shared in May 2023, TeamLease found average apprentice stipends rose 2% in FY22, with gains of 22% in apparel and textiles, 8% in FMCG and 6% in handicrafts and jewellery. Chennai and Kochi were the highest-paying cities, pointing to rising entry-level labour costs for consumer businesses.

— Source publishedTue, 16 May, 2023, 19:04 IST·First seen Sun, 27 Sept, 2026, 14:17 IST·Source Business Standard (via Wayback)

What happened

TeamLease reported higher apprentice stipends across Indian industries in FY22, including apparel and textiles, FMCG, and handicrafts and jewellery. Chennai and

Key facts

  • Average stipend payouts increased 2% in 2022 versus the previous fiscal
  • 6 of 10 manufacturing industries paid higher stipends in 2022
  • Agriculture & Agrochemicals stipend growth: 12%; current stipend: Rs14,000
  • Apparel & Textiles stipend growth: 22%
  • FMCG stipend growth: 8%
  • Handicrafts & Jewellery stipend growth: 6%
  • Infrastructure & Capital Goods stipend growth: 5%
  • 11 of 13 service industries provided higher stipends
  • 9 of 14 cities recorded stipend increases
  • Chennai: Rs13,100 per month
  • Kochi: Rs13,000 per month
  • Bengaluru: Rs12,900 per month
  • Coimbatore: Rs12,900 per month
  • Nagpur and Lucknow stipend growth: 9%
  • Chandigarh stipend growth: 6%
  • Delhi and Hyderabad stipend growth: 5%

Why this matters

For acquisitions or expansion in consumer manufacturing, diligence should test labor-cost escalation, apprentice dependence and exposure to higher-paying hubs such as Chennai and Kochi.

What to watch

  • Further apprentice stipend increases in FY23-FY24, particularly in apparel and textiles.
  • Retail and FMCG employee-cost-to-sales ratios and supplier requests for price revisions.
  • Apprentice enrollment, completion, attrition and full-time conversion rates.
  • Minimum-wage changes, labour-code implementation and state-level apprenticeship incentives.
  • Hiring demand and wage gaps between Chennai, Kochi and other production or retail hubs.
  • Consumer demand elasticity following price increases in value apparel and packaged consumer goods.
  • Benchmark apprentice and entry-level pay by city, especially Chennai and Kochi, against store, factory and warehouse staffing budgets.
  • Prioritize retention, training completion and conversion-to-full-time metrics so higher stipends produce measurable productivity gains.
  • Renegotiate supplier contracts and sourcing plans where apparel labour-cost inflation is concentrated.
  • Test targeted price, pack-size and promotional changes in labour-intensive categories before pursuing broad price increases.
  • Accelerate automation business cases for repetitive store, fulfilment, quality-control and back-office work.