Hola folks, Ansh here again with another blog. This time, I will share my opinion about the blue-collar workforce, some of the major roadblocks, & also the way present startups are trying to solve this problem. I will also share some insights about how some significant startups have pivoted their way to focus on something else.

Let me get this straight, the way the blue-collar HR & the way the white-collar HR industry, especially in India, is very different. White-collar platforms like Naukri, Linkedin, Indeed, etc., all can be categorized under the organized ****sector. When it comes to blue-collar platforms, the market is divided into mass recruiters (naturally organized) like Zomato, Urban Company, Dominos, etc., & MSMEs (naturally unorganized). There is also a concept of contract workforce typically used by construction workers & agencies of sorts.

Now coming back to the current scenario in India. Multiple startups such as the current king apna and other dozens like Waahjobs, MyKaam, etc., have led this space for MSME (unorganized) hires. Then there are platforms like betterplace, WorkIndia, etc., that are primarily being used by corporates (organized) hires.

Since this blog primarily focuses on the unorganized sector & the problems faced, let's talk about that. Based on the current understanding & research, the primary problem faced by these platforms is user education. Users (including both workers & businesses) are facing issues navigating the platform. It is especially challenging for businesses on many such platforms since there is no dedicated app. Even if it exists, it is shadowed by the marketing efforts of the workers' app.

Let me explain the different methods used by these platforms & their different ways of approaching things. This is the same across all the apps, but the approach is different. Most of the apps don't verify workers. They indeed ask businesses to check for details if the hire goes through. In comparison, most businesses are verified based on some govt. identity. One's job post is not made visible until & unless the business is verified.

Accepted documents on the apna app.

There are also some platforms where it is challenging to register as a business. MyKaam & Vahan comes to mind. The process is opaque & even I faced some issues while exploring the platform for my father's business.

As stated earlier, user education & discovery is the nascent problem here. For tech-savvy users like us, it might not be that big of a deal. But because most of the users of these platforms reside in villages & tier 2/3 cities, education about using the platform becomes very important.

Some platforms like MyKaam have taken an exciting approach of using videos as a medium of communicating information. But lacks the proper implementation. Vahan uses WhatsApp as its primary driver. It has a chatbot named Mitra which you can use to find suitable jobs. But as is the case, it lacks proper implementation. They recently raised $8 Million, so who knows. apna's primary driver & its [MOAT](https://www.sequoiacap.com/india/build/apna-leveraging-insight-speed-and-storytelling-to-scale/?utm_source=pocket_mylist#:~:text=So Apna set,and so on.) (maybe?) is its social platform. There is a group for each job category & each group has its moderator of sorts. Workers can connect, socialize and post pictures & stuff. There is also some influencer system that somehow works.

Different groups in the apna app.

This brings with it its problems. One peculiar case that keeps me thinking is that businesses are using it to post job listings while being registered as a worker. They defy the often complicated & opaque process where one has to verify their business using different methods, as explained above.