www.tjprc.org editor@tjprc.org WORKING EFFICIENCY AND IMPEDIMENTS FACED BY PRODUCTION LABOUR IN MEDIUM SIZED KNITWEAR UNITS OF LUDHIANA SURABHI MAHAJAN, HARMINDER SAINI & AMANPREET KAUR Department of Apparel and Textile Science, College of Home Science, PAU, Ludhiana, India ABSTRACT The knitwear industry plays a significant role in the economies of the majority of the countries. The Indian knitting industry is one of the most innovative global producers of knitwear. Ludhiana Knitwear Cluster had been significant due to its vast production capacity and contribution to the economy and export market as well. Human capital forms an integral part of the industry and almost all industries gamble on this essential element to attain success. The present study made an effort to study the working efficiency of the production labour and impediments faced by them. Eight medium sized knitwear units of Ludhiana were surveyed. The data obtained from 120 respondents elucidates that the working efficiency of the labour was low to moderate because of lack of technical skills and training. Common problems identified in majority production workers were lack of training, incentives, less remuneration and uncomfortable working aids. Based on the results of collecting data it is inferred that need based trainings and a minimum educational background are mandatory for increasing working efficiency amongst production labour. KEYWORDS: Knitwear, Productive Workforce, Skill Gaps & Working Efficiency Received: Aug 18, 2017; Accepted: Sep 08, 2017; Published: Oct 03, 2017; Paper Id.: IJSMMRDOCT20172 INTRODUCTION Ludhiana in Punjab is called the ‘Manchester’ of India as far as knitwear is concerned (Anonymous 2017). The knitwear industry has a range of firms with different investments in plant and machinery. Lohana (2014) stated that, the needs, problems and potentials of these enterprises differ not just with the nature of activity, but also with the size, geographical location and structure whether it is organized or unorganized. The medium sized industries are the ones whose investment in plant and machinery is more than five crore rupees but does not exceed ten crores (Jaswal 2010). Small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) are the backbone of Indian economy. They provide immediate large-scale employment, ensure a more equitable distribution of the national income, and facilitate effective mobilization of resources, both capital and labour, which might otherwise remain unutilized (Lohana 2014). The Ludhiana industry is facing government’s anti-friendly policies, high rate of taxation, costly power, scarcity of labour and delay in refunds leading to the downfall of the industry (Mander 2015). The labour is mostly untrained and migratory increasing the complications for the industry owners and it is one of the crucial problems faced by the industry. The labour problems have left the knitwear industry in Ludhiana to operate only around 60 per cent of its capacity (Beiler et al 2008). To manufacture a vast range of products in a knitwear unit, trained workforce is required. Development does not start with goods; it starts with ‘people’ and their education, ‘organizing’ and ‘discipline’ (Schumacher 2001). Organizational performance is linked to effectiveness, efficiency, quality and productivity of workers and to achieve better productivity, skilled, educated and efficient workforce are required who can do multi tasking Original Article International Journal of Sales & Marketing Management Research and Development (IJSMMRD) ISSN (P): 2249-6939; ISSN (E): 2249-8044 Vol. 7, Issue 5, Oct 2017, 5-12 © TJPRC Pvt. Ltd.