Dateline April, 2008

Kolkata, India – Many Canadian companies, especially in British Columbia where I live, faced with rapid reduction of manpower in the highly-trained workers required to provide their customers with the level of services or products expected.  Have in recent years, gone to first an independent attitude by starting small businesses or franchises and then a new concept for many of then and certainly a new concept for an industry like coal mining, an idea called the multi-job concept.

Now, Western Coalfields Ltd, a coal India subsidiary, is planning to implement this new idea of employees, trained and completing, more than one job on the job site, is taking hold in a few of the minds of India’s executives worried about where they will get the workers they need to keep production at current levels and even increase it in the future.

To date, an explosives-carrier’s job required him only to transport explosives, the rest of the time he just waits.  Now, he can be trained for additional tasks related to carrying explosives.

WCL officials contacted said that workers who multi-job could be paid higher wages and the company needed to head in this direction if they were to meet production levels in the future.

In conclusion, technical trained employees are always hard to find in any industry that relies upon skilled workers to complete jobs that are essential to an industries success.  Many companies around the world, not just India, will be watching companies that are heading down this road to see if the benefits are there to allow all industries to move to this form of employment.  If it allows workers to become even more valuable to the companies they work for and get paid accordingly then its a good thing, I guess, but will it take jobs away from individuals who might not get jobs accept for the labour intensive India labour market.