Structural analysis and work profile of workers in Knitwear industry of Ludhiana

The knitwear industry of Ludhiana has the potential to provide employment to approximately four lakh workers as skilled or unskilled workforce. The general aim of the present paper was to analyze the structure of knitwear industry in Ludhiana and explore the working conditions in the knitwear industry. The concept of contractual labour prevails in the industry and the market is well diversified ranging from USA, Europe, Middle East countries to a range of domestic and institutional buyers. The major manufacturing section was the stitching area as of the total workers in a unit, 59 per cent of the workers were employed here. The majority of the firms were not providing any formal training to the workers for skill development. The average order quantity ranges from 1500–3000 pieces per style and the lead time taken by factories for order execution ranges from 60–90 days.