BENGALURU: Medical Education and Skill Development Minister Dr Sharanaprakash R Patil on Friday urged employers in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises sector to pay adequate salaries to the skilled and talented workers. He cited inadequate salary as a significant reason for high attrition rates in a city like Bengaluru.

The minister was speaking at the MSME and Employment Opportunities Conclave organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

“I have come across several cases where skilled and qualified employees from tier-two and tier-three regions of Karnataka quit their jobs in Bengaluru and return to their native places because of meagre salaries,” said Patil, adding that a person hailing from a town like Kalaburagi cannot survive on a monthly salary of Rs 20,000 in Bengaluru.

When a few industrialists at the event pointed out the shortage of skilled workers, Patil said skilled talented workers deserve respectable salaries. He said MSMEs are the largest employment generators not only in Karnataka, but across the country.

“I am not asking MSMEs to match salaries offered by the technology sector, but employees must be paid in accordance with their skills and talent, so that they can live a dignified life in Bengaluru,” he said.

Patil assured the industrialists that his department would organise exclusive, sector-specific job fairs to cater to the needs of MSMEs in Karnataka.