tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post2462937647693509732..comments2024-03-27T15:57:09.192+05:30Comments on Urbanomics: The market for vocational skillsUrbanomicshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16956198290294771298noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-68853656752609138482009-07-06T00:18:38.493+05:302009-07-06T00:18:38.493+05:30You are a prolific writer. Keep up the good work. ...You are a prolific writer. Keep up the good work. <br /><br />PrithwishAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-52181367988383762772009-06-29T20:15:26.439+05:302009-06-29T20:15:26.439+05:30I would have thought that it is a simple case of d...I would have thought that it is a simple case of demand-supply imbalance. There are more weavers on the supply-side than there is demand for their products. There may be many reasons for this insufficiency in demand for hand woven fabrics - displacement by synthetic ones, not competitive on cost, market getting differentiated etc. <br /><br />It is also possible that there has been a deterioration in the general standards of handwoven fabrics. In other words, the general quality (skill levels) of weavers themselves may have fallen. I am inclined to believe that there has been a considerable dilution in the rigour and intensity of training weaver apprentices undergo today (for various reasons), when compared with their forefathers. This trend is similar to the decline in the quality of people in other professions too - unemployable graduates, engineers, doctors, teachers etc. <br /><br />Irrespective of all the aforementioned, skilled and experienced weavers will always command a premium. And this premium can be increased by more attractively packaging and marketing the product. Innovative and diligent entrepreneurship, with some government assistance, can help these skilled and experienced weavers get even higher value for their produce. <br /><br />Traditional artisans like weavers and handicraftsmen cannot compete with the mass producers in the same market. They will invariably end up being uncompetitive on both cost and quality. They will therefore have to cater to a niche (most often higher-end) segment of customers who are relatively price insensitive (low price elasticity), and whose attraction lies in the uniqueness of the product. This invariably puts a premium on quality and demands artisans who have both skill and experience. <br /><br />In conclusion, it appears that the only way for weavers to survive is to create a niche market for their specific fabrics and then nurture and expand this market. And here too, quality of workmanship will be of critical importance, implying that those deficient will fall by the wayside.Urbanomicshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16956198290294771298noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5043138489010794057.post-63075520649854324922009-06-29T09:35:08.501+05:302009-06-29T09:35:08.501+05:30How would you relate this to the relative unemploy...How would you relate this to the relative unemployability of Weavers, particularly when demand for their products is vastly reduced.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com