By strategically nurturing this sector, India can leverage its demographic advantage to create a robust workforce ready to excel both domestically and globally

Let us not get too carried away with everything we do. It's important to regularly reflect on our strategies and thoroughly evaluate the results. An unbiased assessment makes things much simpler for us. In the realm of skill development, taking action, maintaining consistency, and adhering to a routine are crucial. Leveraging the demographic advantage requires serious planning rather than being just a game. It involves building capacity, creating infrastructure, and grooming manpower to impart skills to our young population, making them capable of finding employment both domestically and internationally.

The India Skills Report indicates a 52.8% increase in employability for women and 47.2% for men. Women have surpassed men in terms of employability, particularly in areas such as nursing, beauty and wellness, and other soft skills, which have shown the highest employability rates among women in the post-COVID era.

The beauty and wellness sector not only holds vast potential for women but also for men in both domestic and global markets. The sector's unprecedented growth has resulted in a significant demand for semi-skilled and skilled professionals in the country.

Currently, the beauty and wellness sector employs approximately 12.3 million people, with 66% of them being women and a considerable portion not only from lower socio-economic backgrounds but a lot of aspirants urging from decent educated families. It is projected that by 2027, the Indian Beauty and Wellness sector will offer employment opportunities to around 20.3 million people.

Interestingly, about 44% of the workforce in the beauty and wellness sector possess educational qualifications equivalent to or less than secondary education with limited access to technical training. There are opportunities for greater adoption of vocational education, particularly in segments such as salon services, beauty, fitness, nutrition, and yoga, which are showing increased acceptance of vocational education. Furthermore, the growing demand for services like nutrition consulting, fitness coaching, and nutraceuticals has resulted in new and diverse career opportunities that can be pursued by young individuals, who require skill enhancement and vocational education in Beauty and Wellness.

The Beauty and Wellness industry in the country is experiencing exponential growth, at a pace twice as fast as the markets in the United States and Europe. Heightened consumer awareness and aspirations regarding the industry have led to increased spending on beauty and wellness products and services. According to the Indian Beauty & Hygiene Association (IBHA), per capita spending on beauty and personal care has risen from around Rs 450 per annum in 2017 to Rs 684 in 2022 and Rs 772 in 2025.

While the global beauty and wellness sector grew at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.60% between 2018 and 2023, the Indian sector experienced an even higher growth rate of 18.40% during the same period, driven by a growing affluent and middle-class population and increased organized retail presence in the country. The sector is expected to reach around Rs 2,77,000 crores by 2025, showcasing a 23% growth from Rs 92,000 crores in 2018.

Promote Female Entrepreneurship:

It is essential to promote female entrepreneurship in India, as the current level is very low, with hardly one in every five entrepreneurs being female. The beauty and wellness sector presents unmatched opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship for women. Therefore, there is an urgent need to actively foster entrepreneurship and self-employment for females in this sector through specially designed entrepreneurship education, training initiatives, and fiscal support, enabling them to elevate their businesses.

To support female entrepreneurs, it is imperative to create a special fund in collaboration with the NSDC, industries, and angel investors for developing innovative start-up activities in the sector. Additionally, the establishment of regional incubation centres is crucial to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit of promising women in the sector.

Under this initiative, young female entrepreneurs in the beauty and wellness industry must be equipped with new and improved business management skills to successfully run their enterprises. This focused effort should enable female entrepreneurs to develop concrete business ideas, create a bankable and investable business plan, and formulate a robust business growth strategy.

Traditional Skills to be Equipped with New-age Technologies:

The beauty and wellness sector is experiencing digital disruption as technology-led startups and 5G network access in rural areas become more prevalent. As a result, traditional skills in this sector need to be updated with expertise in new-age technologies such as app setup, virtual try-on services, and data analytics. In addition, providing better customer engagement offerings will be essential.

Furthermore, Artificial intelligence (AI) is also making significant strides in the beauty and wellness industry. AI applications are rapidly changing the sector with innovations like augmented reality. For instance, skin consult AI has been developed to analyze skin ageing, detect major signs of ageing, and provide personalized skincare recommendations. This technology combines thousands of images with dermatological expertise spanning 15-20 years.

Personalized Services:  Personalized services have become increasingly vital due to shifts in customer preferences, lifestyles, body types, and even genetics. The one-size-fits-all approach is outdated, with customers now seeking unique and tailored experiences.

The demand for on-demand-at-home services has surged, particularly among busy professionals. This has underscored the necessity for transferable skills among workers in the sector. Furthermore, new ideas and processes are galvanizing young students to pursue technical and technological careers, aiming to shape a better future.

(The writer is a Co-Founder and MD, of Orane International, a Training Partner with the National Skill Development Corporation(NSDC), Network Member, of India International Skill Centres, an initiative of GoI. Views expressed are personal)