Karnataka minister urges MSMEs to pay dignified wages to retain workers

I am not asking MSMEs to match salaries offered by the tech sector, but employees must be paid decently in accordance with their skills and talent to live with dignity in Bengaluru, he said.

Karnataka Minister Sharan Prakash Patil on Friday urged industries, particularly MSMEs, to pay workers wages that ensure a dignified life in Bengaluru. Inaugurating the MSME and Employment Opportunities Conclave organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Patil expressed concern over low pay in the sector, saying it was causing high attrition despite the availability of skilled manpower. ''I have come across several cases where skilled and qualified employees from tier-two and tier-three regions of Karnataka quit their jobs here and return to their native places due to meagre salaries. How can a person from Kalaburagi survive here on a monthly salary of just Rs 20,000?'' he asked. The issue arose during an interaction session when several MSME industrialists flagged a shortage of skilled workers and said existing employees were leaving to join larger industries. The state minister for medical education and skill development noted that MSMEs are the largest employment generators in Karnataka and across the country, but said talent retention remains a major challenge due to low wages. ''I am not asking MSMEs to match salaries offered by the tech sector, but employees must be paid decently in accordance with their skills and talent to live with dignity in Bengaluru,'' he said. Acknowledging that industries need workers with diverse skill sets, the minister assured the industry body that his department would organise sector-specific job fairs to meet the needs of MSMEs.

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