Pune: Restaurants and various industries in the city are grappling with a significant labour shortage as a large number of migrant workers from West Bengal and North Indian states have returned to their hometowns. This mass exodus has created major operational challenges and driven up staffing costs across the city.Hospitality industry representatives noted that the situation worsened this year because the elections in West Bengal coincided with the seasonal migration of workers from Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for the wedding season. Additionally, workers from Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have also taken their scheduled annual leave.Rahul Ramnath, a founding member of the United Hospitality Association, Pune, said many workers from West Bengal were summoned back to their villages to vote. “Due to the elections in West Bengal, many were specifically called back. There was a prevailing fear among them that their ration cards or local benefits would be cancelled if they did not return to cast their vote,” Ramnath said.He noted that while restaurants typically prepare for staff shortages in April and May—when workers from UP and MP return home for weddings—West Bengal workers usually travel later in the year during Durga Puja. “This time, both cycles overlapped, creating a major crisis,” he added.According to Ramnath, the shortage has forced many establishments to partially shut down sections on weekdays and rely heavily on temporary workers to manage weekend crowds. “Across my four restaurants, 77 staff members from West Bengal have gone on leave. We already had about 33 workers from North India scheduled for leave. Altogether, more than 100 out of our 350 staff members are away,” he said.The manufacturing sector is facing a similar crisis. A representative from a city-based manufacturing firm stated that the shortage has severely hampered production capacity over the past few weeks.“The labour shortage is an absolute crisis. While things have started to improve slightly, a plant like ours requires 290 to 350 people per shift. During the peak of the exodus in April, we had only about 50 people available at one point. We were operating at barely one-third of our required strength,” the representative said.The firm noted that several factors triggered the sudden departure, including family functions, rumours of potential lockdowns, and disruptions caused by a local LPG shortage. To retain the remaining workforce, the company introduced daily attendance incentives and cash bonuses. “We had to launch major incentive schemes, paying out attendance bonuses daily just to ensure people showed up for at least one shift,” the representative added.Kumar Gadiya, owner of Gadiya Industries Pvt Ltd, said the labour crunch has compromised business continuity. He noted that the situation was further complicated by global factors. “Business was impacted by both worker shortages and raw material issues stemming from geopolitical tensions in the Middle East. Aluminum supply was affected, which further stalled operations,” Gadiya said.He added that approximately 10 workers from his 32-member workforce had left in recent weeks, significantly slowing down manufacturing activity.
