Young workforce does not feel ‘less than completely safe’ in Mumbai

Over 70 per cent of Mumbai's young workforce feels "less than completely safe" here, revealed a survey by the Young Bombay Forum, the youth wing of the Bombay Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The survey also showed that more than 60 per cent of the respondents is "not extremely satisfied" with the work they do.

Conducted along with IMRB International to identify the primary issues of the city's young working population, the survey covered 1,004 working individuals in Mumbai from across 560 small, medium and large enterprises aged 21 to 35 years. The respondents, answering on a scale of one to five — five being the most important or most satisfactory — included single, married, graduates and under-graduates, original inhabitants of Mumbai and recent settlers. YBF focussed on individuals living in the suburbs and those working in smaller organisations.

Around 69 per cent of the young workforce travels by train, with over 50 per cent dependent on buses. Moreover, women feel less safe than men when traveling using public transport at a late hour. Besides endless commuting and lack of affordable housing, young citizens, the report says, are concerned about not having enough time for recreation or exercise as 80 per cent work six days a week. This is in addition to the average number of hours spent in office daily — which exceeds nine hours, especially for men.

Still, 82 per cent of the respondents prefer commuting a longer distance for higher-paying job over a lower-paying job closer home. The fact that 90 per cent of individuals surveyed seemed to have a best friend at work, YBF said, possibly eased the burdens of work-life.

"What the working youth think is indicative of how the city stacks up on various parameters. This survey has brought to the fore the problems of the youth. Based on these findings, companies should now formulate policies on what can be done to improve working conditions," said YBF chairperson, Ashith Kampani.

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