IKEA India to create 10000 jobs in Maharashtra, and employ 50% women in its workforce

Not long after the successful launch of IKEA’s first store in India in Hyderabad, IKEA India, the Sweden-based home furnishing retailer is all set to begin operations in Mumbai. The Company will be offering its complete range via large format stores and small stores, as well as e-commerce. In doing so, the retailer will generate 5000 direct and 5000 indirect jobs in Maharashtra in the times to come, and 50 per cent of its employees will be women.

IKEA will be offering job opportunities in its distribution centres as well as online and offline stores. Recruitment will be done in the areas of merchandising, store operations, supply chain as well as allied assembly services, beginning with the distribution centre at Chakan. The first of its large format stores will open at Turbhe, Navi Mumbai where 1000 direct and 1500 indirect co-workers will be employed.

“Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the people and we relate this vision with our shared humanistic values. These values are the foundation of our work and our inclusive, empathising, open and honest culture,”Anna-Carin Månsson, country people and culture manager, IKEA India. 

The retailer will ensure a diverse and inclusive work environment with equal opportunities for all. The Company is committed to creating an ideal, positive and progressive workplace for its co-workers, customers and business partners, where half the workforce will comprise women across hierarchies.

Anna-Carin Månsson, country people and culture manager, IKEA India said, “Our vision is to create a better everyday life for the people and we relate this vision with our shared humanistic values. These values are the foundation of our work and our inclusive, empathising, open and honest culture. At IKEA, we believe in value-based recruitment, where the core values of an individual are considered and not the CV. We provide equal opportunities to all our co-workers, help them grow and enable them to follow their passion. We are very excited to meet the many talented people of Mumbai who will bring their uniqueness to IKEA and strengthen our values. We would like to welcome all those who share our values to join us! ”

IKEA has employee-friendly policies such as day care facilities (DAGIS), parental leave policy, transport policy, competence development, mentoring and pension plan. IKEA’s commitment to its co-workers is not just limited to its direct and indirect workers but also extends to the local supplier ecosystem with focus on better wages and working conditions for suppliers’ co-workers too.

Commenting on the operational plans, Per Hornell, market manager- Maharashtra, IKEA India said, “Maharashtra is an extremely important market for us. We have been sourcing from the state for many decades and now we are ready to enter the market in 2019 with our full offer to be able to serve all the customers. Mumbai is unique in terms of its lively and diverse culture, entrepreneurial spirit and creative use of space. We believe that IKEA’s core values and traditions integrate with these characteristics as we aim to be a part of the everyday lives of ‘Mumbaikars’ through our solutions and services.”

The philanthropic arm of the IKEA Group – IKEA Foundation, in partnership with public and private partners is also working towards women empowerment in India, under a skill development project called DISHA. The objective is to skill a million women to enable them to join the workforce. IKEA has already absorbed 100 women from its Hyderabad store. Under IKEA’s social entrepreneur programme, close to 1500 women in India are creating limited-edition products for the country.