About 30,000 women have reportedly joined the diamond trade in Surat and Saurashtra since April due to the second wave of Covid-19, which took scores of lives and triggered monetary uncertainty, as per a report in aaka-samachar.in.
Women were steadily coming into diamond cutting and polishing over the last five years. But the flow has increased post-Covid as they want to ensure financial stability at their homes. The share of women in Surat’s diamond trade has gone as much as 4% in the previous 5 years.
According to the Surat Diamond Association, more women workers will join when the Surat Diamond Bourse becomes operational. The diamond trade in Surat and Saurashtra employs on the whole about 1,000,000 men and women. It is reported that nearly 20% of the migrant staff have not returned since the outbreak of the second wave of Covid-19.
As per the report, diamantaires want manpower as there’s an excessive demand for polished diamonds in the worldwide market, which has led to a rise in exports of polished diamonds and jewelry. However, Gujarat’s Diamond Workers Union stated diamond retailers cannot use expert manpower as they’re reluctant to increase the salaries of staff regardless of the rise in work. Currently, there is a scarcity of over 125000 workers.
Aruna Gaitonde, Editor in Chief of the Asian Bureau, Rough&Polished
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