Enabling broader representation in the workplace will not only drive empowerment, but also impact innovation and competitiveness
Words by Geetha Ramamoorthi
One of the observations I made when I moved into the energy/oil & gas industry in India was the low representation of women, despite the high number of engineers graduating from the university. The proportion of female engineers was less than 10%, in contrast to the 35-40% in the IT and software sectors, and 30% in the Architecture and Design industry. This disparity can be attributed to several factors, including misconceptions about the nature of work and career prospects in the sector, lack of visible female role models, societal conditioning, stereotyping, and limited awareness of the opportunities available within the industry.
The story is similar in India’s manufacturing sector where the representation is only 12%, though exceptions remain in certain industries such as electronics. Apart from barriers at the workplace, there are issues that we need to tackle at the grassroots level. Even though girls’ participation in primary and secondary education is healthy, the numbers start to dwindle when it comes to higher education, largely owing to familial pressures for the girls to get married early in life. This is a phenomenon that continues to curtail higher education and career opportunities for them.
Untapped Human Capital & India’s GDP
All of this has resulted in untapped human capital in the employable age bracket, which if unlocked with the right interventions can enhance India’s GDP. Indian women, despite constituting 48% of the population, contribute only 18% to the GDP (Gross Domestic Product). As per a study by McKinsey Global, for India, unlocking this can mean a potential annual GDP boost of $770 billion by 2025, representing an 18% rise above the expected business-as-usual GDP.
How can Technology help to unlock the potential?
The good news is – modern technological advancements are making the heavy engineering, energy and manufacturing sectors in India more accessible to women by reducing physical barriers and creating safer work environments. Automation, robotics, and remote monitoring systems have minimized the need for physically demanding tasks. Additionally, advancements in safety equipment and workplace policies are fostering a more vibrant workforce, ensuring equal opportunities for everyone to thrive.
- Digitalization, has opened opportunities for more people in engineering, operations, and leadership. Companies such as SHELL and Bp have successfully deployed digital technologies like IioT for Real-time monitoring and condition-based maintenance which have reduced the need for physical labour.
- Virtual simulations of oil and gas facilities enables testing of operating scenarios and optimizing of processes before implementing changes in the real world.
- Training and workforce development: Digital twins can be leveraged for virtual training exercises to enhance operator skills in complex scenarios.
- Digital adoption: KBR India has a strong emphasis on harnessing innovation and leveraging the adoption of digital technology to provide an enabling environment for its people to work, learn, collaborate, share knowledge, and grow. As an example, our efforts in automating engineering workflows (such as automated drawings generation) and processes (such as digitalized document verification) have helped simplify laborious tasks and enhanced our ability to attract talented people into the workforce.
- Recruitment practices: At KBR India we focus on creating an environment where people have a sense of belonging. Our recruitment practices ensure there is no room for discrimination, and prioritizing merit is at the core of our talent strategy.
- Work-Life Integration: By leveraging advanced digital tools and technology, KBR India is able to offer its people the ability connect and work seamlessly from home when necessary, and promotes a culture that values and supports people’s aspirations. This approach helps people in managing both their professional and personal commitments effectively and this helps in higher retention.
The ethos is around connecting, learning, belonging, collaborating and growing. At the heart of what we do, we remain committed to the cause of working for the betterment of the communities around us by supporting their education, upskilling, and overall development, where in use of digital technology is serving as a key enabler.
Geetha Ramamoorthi is the Managing Director of KBR India, and is responsible for its entire India operations. Geetha started her career at Ashok Leyland and over the years has handled roles spanning Finance, Operations, Engineering, Business Change and Digital. She believes in advancing the strategic direction of the business through innovation, total inclusion, and organizational leadership.
