中文title: “India’s 10 Million Jobs Gamble: Can the World’s Largest Democracy Turn Leather Into an Employment Engine?” original_url: “https://leathernews.org/indian-leather-and-footwear-industry-has-potential-to-create-10-million-jobs-says-commerce-minister/” source: “Leather News”
India’s 10 Million Jobs Gamble: Can the World’s Largest Democracy Turn Leather Into an Employment Engine?
In a country where economic ambitions often collide with bureaucratic realities, India’s Commerce Minister has thrown down a gauntlet that could reshape the global leather landscape. During a high-profile ceremony in New Delhi, Minister Piyush Goyal challenged India’s leather and footwear industry to more than double its workforce — from roughly four million to an ambitious ten million jobs — while fundamentally restructuring the institutional framework that has long governed the sector.
The Speech That Stopped the Room
At the Council for Leather Exports (CLE) National Export Excellence Awards 2024-25 on July 6, 2026, Goyal didn’t just deliver a congratulatory address. He posed a direct question to an industry that employs over four million people, a significant share of whom are women: “Can you take this number to ten million?”
The minister’s confidence wasn’t merely rhetorical. He argued that as the industry expands and achieves greater economies of scale, this dramatic employment increase is genuinely achievable. But the path forward, he insisted, requires a fundamental rethink of how India develops its leather workforce.
The Institutional Challenge
Goyal’s most pointed remarks targeted India’s network of twelve leather development centers — institutions designed to train workers and advance industry capabilities. The minister didn’t mince words: resources had been spread too thinly across too many facilities, rendering several of them ineffective and increasingly irrelevant to actual industry needs.
He proposed a radical alternative. Government, he stated, was willing to hand over complete management of these centers to industry itself, allowing the private sector to align training programs with genuine market requirements. Alternatively, he suggested consolidating the twelve centers into three or four more robust institutions, concentrating resources where they could deliver meaningful impact.
Government as Enabler, Not Manager
“The government is a listening government, and wants stakeholders involved in the decision-making process,” Goyal emphasized, framing a philosophy that could have profound implications for how India’s leather sector develops. Rather than dictating from New Delhi, the administration is offering to create an enabling environment while demanding that industry take ownership of its own talent pipeline.
This approach represents a significant departure from traditional Indian industrial policy, where government bodies have historically controlled vocational training and sector development. For leather specifically — a sector where practical skills and hands-on experience matter more than theoretical credentials — giving industry greater control over training could unlock substantial productivity gains.
The Gender Dimension
Goyal’s address highlighted a statistic that deserves more attention: approximately 40% of the leather industry’s workforce is female. In a country where female labor force participation remains stubbornly low, the leather sector’s success in attracting women workers represents both an achievement and an opportunity. The minister urged companies to consider how improved working conditions, childcare facilities, and career advancement pathways could help attract even more women into the industry.
The Export Ambition
The employment challenge is inseparable from India’s export ambitions. Goyal has previously urged the industry to target US$15 billion in exports over the next five to six years — a significant jump from current levels. Achieving this growth will require not just more workers, but better-trained workers capable of producing goods that meet international quality standards and sustainability requirements.
Large Indian leather exporters already achieving ₹200-300 crore (roughly US$20-30 million) in annual exports, Goyal noted, should be capable of mentoring and managing development centers. This mentorship model could accelerate knowledge transfer and raise industry standards more rapidly than centralized government training ever could.
The Global Context
India’s leather employment push arrives at a critical juncture. Vietnam has emerged as a formidable footwear manufacturing competitor, China retains massive production capacity despite rising costs, and Bangladesh’s leather sector is struggling to overcome infrastructure and environmental challenges. For India, scaling employment isn’t just a domestic priority — it’s a competitive necessity if the country wants to capture a larger share of global leather and footwear trade.
Can It Work?
The honest answer is: possibly, but only with genuine industry buy-in and sustained commitment. India’s leather sector has enormous latent potential — abundant raw materials, a large labor pool, growing domestic demand, and improving infrastructure. But realizing this potential requires more than government speeches. It demands private sector investment in training, technology adoption, and workplace standards that can attract and retain the millions of workers Goyal envisions.
Ten million jobs is an audacious target. But in an industry as labor-intensive as leather, audacity may be exactly what’s required.
Source: Leather News — “Indian Leather and Footwear Industry Has Potential to Create 10 Million Jobs Says Commerce Minister” (July 9, 2026)
