Upskilled slum workers plug entry-level gaps across India's retail, QSR and gig economy
CII's ABVKVK alongside Lighthouse, Dr Reddy's Foundation and platforms like Urban Company and Snabbit have channelled 65,000 trainees into telecom, ecommerce, hospitality and healthcare roles, with 18,300 women placed in 2025. Mission 2026 maps 50 slum clusters across Mumbai, Bengaluru, Pune and Hyderabad via 100+ job fairs.
What happened
CII ABVKVK · Skilling programs by CII, NGOs and platforms like Urban Company and Snabbit are channeling urban slum workers into India's retail, ecommerce, QSR,
Key facts
- 65,000 training placements
- 18,300 women placed in 2025
- telecom 25% of placements
- ecommerce 15%
- monthly wages ₹80,000-₹1.6 lakh abroad vs ₹12,000-25,000 in India
- 50 slum clusters mapped
- 100+ job fairs under Mission 2026
Why this matters
Partnership and CSR pathways with CII-ABVKVK, Lighthouse and Dr Reddy's Foundation offer a low-cost, ESG-aligned route to lock in workforce supply across 50 priority slum clusters before competitors anchor the 100+ job-fair circuit in 2026.