India’s employability gap flips again: What rising male gains and female fluctuations mean

For years, women were widely perceived as having a clear advantage in employability, consistently outperforming men in skill readiness and job market compatibility. Yet the India Skills Report 2026 by Wheebox paints a more nuanced picture: While women initially led, men steadily closed the gap, overtaking women in 2025, before women regained a slight edge in 2026. This six-year trajectory raises a pressing question: Why are these patterns emerging, and what do they reveal about India’s approach to skill development, workforce readiness, and gender dynamics in employment? The answer is multi-layered, shaped by social, economic, and industrial forces. Men’s employability surged as industries increasingly prioritized technical, digital, and vocational skills, domains that, historically, ha