Closed Mal Road in Nainital raises concerns not only among businesses but also among religious communities

A Polish influencer living in London has sparked a new wave of discussion on social media by commenting on the long-standing debate about whether Indians are taking local jobs in Western countries. Her response to the criticism was highly praised by social media users.

Despite the rising cost of living and stricter immigration rules, Indian students and professionals continue to choose countries like the UK. This discussion takes place against the backdrop of the UK tightening its control over international migration and student intake.

According to new data from UCAS and the UK Home Office, interest among Indian students remains high, although new regulations create additional pressure on universities regarding visa targets, enrollment, and program completion.

The discussion reignited after a viral video of the influencer Maya, who lives in London and is engaged to an Indian man. The video garnered over five hundred thousand views in less than 12 hours, and many users highly appreciated her statements. Responding to accusations of taking jobs from locals, Maya stated: 'Sweetheart, they can't take the job you aren't qualified for.'

Refuting claims that Indians occupy all good positions, she cited examples of doctors, engineers, and IT specialists, questioning whether those making the accusations possess the necessary qualifications for these professions. Furthermore, Maya dismissed allegations that Indians are taking jobs in sectors such as Uber, delivery, and construction, noting that these vacancies are available to everyone.

Maya also questioned the idea of placing responsibility for personal or economic difficulties on migrants. She emphasized that an Indian worker who gets up early to work cannot be held responsible for another person's problems. She suggested that an Indian man going to work early might not be the cause of someone's decline in life, but admitted that it is much easier to blame him.

These remarks came at a time when the UK is tightening its immigration norms. Nevertheless, Indian students continue to head to the UK for higher education. This situation demonstrates a divergence between political debates on migration and the decisions made by students and professionals to move to the UK.

As technology transforms product creation processes and customer service for millions of clients at Myntra, the company is focusing not only on hiring but also on building sustainable long-term career paths in the tech sector. The company creates opportunities for women at various stages of their professional journey by utilizing tools such as returnship programs, mentorship, and clear career ladders.

Govindraj MK, Myntra's Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO), discusses how incorporating diverse perspectives and fostering strong communities can influence the future of innovation and technology. Myntra positions itself as a technology-driven organization where technology is a key business opportunity defining customer understanding, experience creation, ecosystem support, and operational scaling.

The implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) does not diminish the value of talent in the technology field; rather, it shifts the focus from routine task execution to problem-solving, product evaluation, and deep industry expertise. As AI takes on more functions, the importance of responsibly using it, assessing its outcomes, and transforming its capabilities into meaningful business and customer achievements increases.

The company's approach to talent management aims to help employees develop relevant skills and continuously navigate changing career paths. Through the Mynverse platform, employees gain access to training across technical, functional, behavioral, and leadership profiles. Furthermore, role-specific skills are supported through competency assessments, development plans, practical projects, and mentorship, realizing the company's value proposition: 'Expanding your possibilities to shape the future.'

Recognizing that women constitute nearly 40% of Myntra's total workforce, the company strives to translate this strong representation into a deeper presence within technology functions and senior leadership. The main focus is on strengthening the talent pipeline in engineering, product, data, and new AI-driven roles, as well as promoting more women into technical, product, and corporate leadership positions.

Long-term careers are built when employees understand how to grow, have access to experience expansion opportunities, and receive support during critical life and career stages. Therefore, Myntra views career growth as an integrated system, not a collection of isolated measures. The Ascend program supports associate director-level employees through mentorship, providing leadership exposure, and participation in real projects, while Ascend X helps women at the director level transition from functional to corporate leadership. Additionally, there is the 'Circle of Strength,' which unites women leaders and male allies for mutual support.

Support extends to various life stages, including assistance with motherhood, fatherhood, adoption, and surrogacy, as well as care during pregnancy and postpartum, availability of childcare, nursing rooms, and structured support for returning to work.

The returnship program for women, named Phoenix, has supported over 100 women, helping them relaunch their careers, with almost 60% transitioning to full-time employment. This program reinforced the company's belief that women returning after a break require a structured bridge back into the workforce, not just a standard hiring process. The six- or seven-month Phoenix program includes onboarding, training, mentorship, and hands-on work on real projects, allowing participants to reacquaint themselves with the work environment and demonstrate their potential in a supportive setting.

A key takeaway is that successful reintegration depends on a combination of upskilling with meaningful work, managerial support, and a clear path to sustained employment. The importance of recognizing the experience and potential brought by participants, rather than viewing career breaks as limitations, is also emphasized.

Mentorship, sponsorship, and access to successful leaders play complementary roles in advancing talent to senior technical and business roles. Mentors provide perspective, strengthen judgment, and readiness for larger tasks, while sponsors help increase visibility of strong work and open doors to opportunities of greater complexity and scale. At Myntra, this is supported through programs throughout the entire career lifecycle, ranging from early skill development and mentorship to cross-functional assignments and enterprise-level growth.

To measure the effectiveness of diversity and inclusion initiatives, Myntra assesses the breadth of opportunities created throughout the employee journey. Beyond representation, metrics tracked include skill development, participation in development programs, internal mobility, returnship program conversion rates, strength of the leadership pipeline, employee sentiment, and retention levels. For instance, the Phoenix program helped over 100 women return after a break, with about 60% finding permanent employment.

At the organizational level, approximately 25% of Myntra employees have been with the company for more than five years. According to the internal MyPulse 9.0 survey conducted in November 2025, nearly 80% of employees intend to remain at Myntra for the next two to three years. Furthermore, Generation Z constitutes about 40% of the workforce, and nearly 80% of this group also expressed an intention to stay.

The Women in Tech platform was created to foster substantive dialogue about paradigm shifts and to unite leaders, AI specialists, and engineers for practical discussions on building, scaling, and managing technology in an AI-driven environment. The latest edition gathered participants from organizations such as Google India, NVIDIA, Thomson Reuters, and Anthropic, where topics like customer experience, product development, engineering, responsible innovation, and future leadership qualities were discussed.

The company's long-term goal is to build a stronger community of women technologists through collaborative learning, professional networking, and continuous industry knowledge exchange. The platform facilitates collaboration, expands access to knowledge, and creates more robust growth paths within the ecosystem, demonstrating a culture that values curiosity, continuous learning, and diverse thinking.

According to the report, the demand for temporary staff during the current holiday season is projected to be between 250,000 and 270,000 jobs. The main sectors driving this demand are e-commerce, logistics, express delivery, organized retail, and financial services (BFSI).

Adecco India expects that the hiring of temporary and gig workers during the 2026 holiday season will increase by 15–20% compared to the previous year, building on a strong base of 216,000 jobs created in the organized sector last year.

Dipesh Gupta, Director and Head of General Hiring at Adecco India, noted that despite a more complex global business environment, the intention to hire remains steady this year. He added that domestic consumption continues to support demand in retail, e-commerce, logistics, and other consumer sectors; however, employers are exercising greater caution due to geopolitical events, energy price volatility, changing global trade dynamics, and uncertainty in export-oriented industries.

The report also showed that about 45% of the workforce needs this year will fall in second and third-tier cities such as Lucknow, Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, and Coimbatore. This is attributed to the expansion of e-commerce reach, the growth of organized retail, and increased consumption in these markets.

Meanwhile, first-tier cities, including Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, and Hyderabad, are experiencing the sharpest labor shortage—30%. Higher workforce mobility and a growing preference for gig work are complicating recruitment and retention processes.

Temporary wages are expected to rise by 12–15% in metropolitan markets and by 8–10% in second and third-tier regions. Analysis of demand profiles showed that this year's hiring is focused less on new job categories and more on scaling critical operational roles.

Retail and BFSI-related positions remain central for hiring, including retail sales associates, customer support representatives, field sales managers, merchandisers, and production operators. This is because companies are investing in faster order fulfillment and improved customer experience.

Employers are increasingly seeking candidates proficient in multiple languages such as Hindi, English, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and Marathi, who possess digital skills and are comfortable in customer-facing and operational roles. Adaptability, digital literacy, and strong communication skills are becoming key factors in hiring across retail, logistics, BFSI, and e-commerce.

Despite optimistic hiring forecasts, labor availability remains a challenge: approximately 80% of employers are facing staff shortages in front-line and operational roles during this holiday season. Adecco estimates a supply-demand gap of 10–15% during the peak hiring period.

Furthermore, nearly 25% of seasonal employees are expected to transition to long-term contracts, highlighting the growing role of holiday employment as an entry point into India's organized workforce.