‘Migration, lack of skilled labour makes it tough to give 80% jobs to Goans’

the goan I networkrPanajirrDirector, Tulip Group of Companies, N Sriram, said, “Lack of talented people for certain positions is a big issue in Goa. Pharmaceutical companies find it tough to get experienced chemists. At times, we fill in the vacancy for a chemist by taking a local. But, often, chemists in Goa are not experienced. The companies have to train them and then they move on to another company as soon as they are trained.” rAt worker level, most pharmaceutical companies get people from outside of Goa. This is because such jobs are part-time and low salaries, which makes them unattractive for Goans. rWhen it comes to blue-collar profiles, sources said that Goans prefer working outside India. By migrating out of India, they can make more money for same job. Besides, generations of Goans have lived abroad, which makes migration easier. rPresident of Honda Industrial Estate, Praveen Blaggon, said, “It’s tough to find people for certain profiles from within Goa.r For example, it is very difficult to find a specialised welder in Goa. Similarly, Goans don’t prefer to work in fields like fabrication.” rBesides, migration is not limited to blue-collar employees, as even highly educated Goans, like software engineers, often leave the state. Opportunities in places like Bangalore and Mumbai are far more lucrative than in Goa. rPresident, Goa Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI), Sandip Bhandare, said, “We have few big companies like Persistent Systems in the IT space now. Seeing this, those Goans who had moved out of the state earlier, are now coming back. If we have more such companies, Goans will have more jobs to choose from within the state.” rThe report in The Goan Everyday edition dated July 13 highlighted that there are only 40 industries in Goa, which have 80% or more of their overall employees as Goans.