Workplace situation during COVID-19 lockdown India 2020 by select city

According to a survey among Indian urban youth about life in lockdown, a majority of people across all cities stated that they worked from home during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in April 2020. Over 70 percent of respondents in Bengaluru worked from home during the lockdown and this could be due to the large share of industries with teleworking possibilities in the city.

Impact on vulnerable employee groups

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a grave impact not just on small traders but even more, on urban workers and laborers, the majority of who are migrants. During the lockdown, when all economic activity in the country came to a complete standstill, the livelihoods and survival of the migrant workers were most threatened. Overnight, they were forced to vacate their shelters and return to their villages on foot due to the shut-down of public transport systems.
Among the working class, with work from home policies in place during the pandemic, studies suggest that a large share of working women in India have been impacted negatively. This can be attributed to the double burden of not only bearing the brunt of doing the household chores and caring for children but also working full time.

Impact on enterprises

The impact of the pandemic on enterprises has varied on a regional as well as sectoral level. The hardest hit industries were those enterprises with a high rate of regular business activities, accommodation and food services, wholesale, retail trade, real estate and manufacturing.