Tamil Nadu has enhanced its dominance in the field of women-led electronics manufacturing for the year 2024-25, as indicated by the latest Annual Survey of Industries (ASI). The survey reveals that 44.4% of all women directly employed in India’s manufacturing of computer, electronic, and optical products are based in this southern state, an increase from 42.9% in the previous fiscal year.
Furthermore, the percentage of directly-employed women in the manufacturing of electrical equipment in Tamil Nadu saw a rise from 25.5% to 26.2% during the same period.
In contrast, Gujarat experienced a notable decline, with its share dropping approximately 250 basis points across both sectors. Specifically, employment in computer, electronic, and optical products fell from 10% to 7.4%, while the share for electrical equipment decreased from 6.5% to 4%. This downturn was not attributed to other states increasing their female workforce in these areas, as Gujarat’s own numbers fell — 335 fewer women were employed in the electronics sector, and 942 in electrical equipment.
The ASI data does not provide a gender breakdown for contract workers, complicating efforts to determine the exact number of women engaged in these manufacturing sectors. Nevertheless, the overall count of directly-employed female factory workers in India grew by 96,907 in 2024-25, reaching a total of 17.38 lakh, while male workers increased by 4.54 lakh to 78.78 lakh.
In terms of contract labor, the total increased by 5.77 lakh to 70.31 lakh across the country. Notably, Tamil Nadu reported a decrease in contract workers within the computer, electronic, and optical product segment, with a decline of 6,624 to 60,378. Conversely, Karnataka saw an uptick of 19,236 contract workers in the same field.
Tamil Nadu continues to employ a substantial 40.3% of all directly-employed female factory workers nationwide. The state has adopted a model akin to China’s by providing dormitories for female workers, addressing critical challenges like commuting distance and living conditions. This initiative is vital, especially given the increasing number of aging individuals in the southern states who rely on migrant labor.
A report from the Tamil Nadu State Planning Commission regarding migrant workers in Chennai, submitted in March 2025, highlighted that 86% of the 811 surveyed migrants originated from five states: Bihar, Odisha, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand, with no specific gender statistics provided. Over half (55%) were noted to be employed in manufacturing.
The comprehensive ASI report for 2024-25 follows the release of a ‘factsheet’ by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) about a month earlier. According to this factsheet, Jharkhand was the only state to see a drop in average factory wages in 2024-25, with a 5.2% decrease, while overall factory wages across the nation increased by 5.3%, averaging Rs 2.28 lakh. Despite this, the average wage in Jharkhand remains higher than the national average at Rs 3.04 lakh, second only to Sikkim and Goa.
Tamil Nadu also maintains its position as the state with the highest number of factories and workers, while Uttar Pradesh plays a crucial role in boosting industrial growth. Nationally, the workforce in factories increased by 7.3% to 1.67 crore, and the factory count rose by 2.6% to 2.7 lakh, marking the first back-to-back years of over 2% factory growth in over a decade.
In the previous fiscal year, 2023-24, the factory count had also risen by 2.7%.
The ASI is a critical survey that examines the formal manufacturing sector in India, offering vital insights into how manufacturing is evolving across the country and within individual states, as well as contributing to GDP calculations and government policy development.
