Impressive Stipend Growth In India Outperforms Salary Rise In Multiple Sectors: Report

There is a growing positive synergy amongst India Inc. companies to pay higher stipends than the mandated minimum notified stipends. According to a new report, the average stipend pay outs witnessed a 2% increase in FY-2022, compared to the previous fiscal. While the overall percentage increase has been a marginal spike, the report highlighted a significant variation in stipend pay-outs across industries, cities and educational qualifications.

Stipend payouts in certain sectors have gained better traction than salary trends over the past year, said the ‘Stipend Primer Report’.

TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, the Degree Apprenticeship program from the house of TeamLease Services, has launched the flagship ‘Stipend Primer Report’ for FY-2022. The report covers 14 hub cities across 24 industries and the total number of unique employers covered in the report are 553.

The report indicated the majority of industries surveyed have indicated promising stipends for apprentices. In the manufacturing sector, six out of ten industries provided a higher stipend in 2022 as compared to 2021.

Agriculture & Agrochemicals, with current stipend of Rs 14,000, witnessed a 12% growth. Similarly, Apparel & Textiles (22%), FMCG (8%), Handicrafts & Jewellery (6%), and Infrastructure & Capital Goods (5%) also witnessed an increase in the payouts. On the other hand, industries like Power & Energy (-10%) and Healthcare (-7%) saw a decline.

In the services sector, 11 out of 13 industries provided a higher stipend in the fiscal. The top industries included Media & Entertainment (18%), Services including Repair and Maintenance (11%), Education (9%), Life Science (8%) and E-commerce & Tech Products (8%). However, despite the technology boom and the advent of 5G, Telecommunication (-4%) and IT/ITeS (-2%) saw a dip in the fiscal.

Sumit Kumar, chief business officer, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship, said, “Our findings indicate a significant 2% increase in average stipends during the fiscal year 2022 as compared to the preceding year. This upward trend signifies a growing recognition among companies of the immense value and return on investment that come with engaging apprentices in their organisations.”

“In fact, incidentally, stipend growth in India has outperformed salary growth in many industries, with many industries paying higher than the minimum notified stipends. Employers are willing to pay higher stipends than industry mandates as they see the value of investing in apprentices to bridge the skill crisis and create a sustainable talent supply chain,” Kumar added.

“The evolution of stipend trends is a testament to the changing dynamics of the workforce and the strategic vision of forward-thinking organisations. Especially in the services sector, stipend pay-outs are increasing significantly, specifically in industries like Media & Entertainment, Services including Repair and Maintenance, Education), Life Science and E-commerce & Tech Products. We are delighted to witness the positive transformation for apprentices, which signifies a promising future for both companies and apprentices alike,” added Dhriti Prasanna Mahanta, business head, TeamLease Degree Apprenticeship.

Furthermore, according to the report findings, the majority of cities (9 out of 14) experienced an increase in stipends in FY-2022 compared to FY-2021. The top-paying cities in FY-2022 were Chennai (Rs 13,100 per month) and Kochi (Rs 13,000 per month), followed by Bengaluru and Coimbatore, both offering Rs 12,900 per month. Additionally, Nagpur and Lucknow saw a 9% increase in stipends, while Chandigarh had a 6% increase, and Delhi and Hyderabad each had a 5% increase in stipend.

Even from the apprenticeship category perspective and an education qualification viewpoint, many cohorts of apprentices earned better stipends than the nominal base.

Diploma and Trade (Regular) apprenticeships earned about more than 50% above minimum stipends and Trade (Degree) apprenticeships earned about 40% above minimum stipends.

Premium stipends paid to Diploma holders are 30% to 50% higher than the average stipends in nearly 6 out of 14 cities. Similarly, Graduates enjoyed premium stipends that were 55% to 75% higher in 5 out of 14 cities.

Post-Graduates, specifically in Chennai, Hyderabad, Indore, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, and Delhi, received premium stipends that were 50% to 80% higher than the average stipends. In terms of job roles, Agriculture Field Officer topped the chart with Rs 15,200 per month, followed by Retail Sales (Rs 13,800 per month) and HR (Rs 13,600 per month).