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The sharp US tariffs on Indian exports have split expert opinion while some warn of an imminent jobs crisis others argue that strong domestic demand and diversified trade ties could soften the blow. The recent imposition of additional US tariffs is expected to have a direct and substantial impact on Indias employment landscape. This will especially impact those industries relying heavily on the US market for business continuity and growth workforce solutions and HR services provider Genius HRTech founder chairman and managing director R P Yadav told PTI. Trump Tariffs: 2 To 3 Lakhs Jobs At Risk? Sectors like textiles auto components agriculture and gems and jewellery are the most vulnerable with MSMEs bearing the brunt said Yadav. He estimates that 200000 to 300000 jobs are at immediate risk with textiles alone which is labour-intensive potentially losing 100000 jobs if the tariff regime continues beyond the next six months. Similarly in the gem and jewellery sector including units in Surat and SEEPZ in Mumbai thousands of jobs are at risk due to reduced demand and cost escalation in the US market he added. However TeamLease Services Senior Vice President Balasubramanian Anantha Narayanan does not see the possibility of job losses saying India is largely a domestic consumption-driven economy unlike China. Trump Tariffs Risks Jobs At Pharma Electronics Textiles Gems And Jewellery? At this point in time we arent seeing any signs of a slowdown or loss of jobs. This also by extension means that our jobs are largely in service of domestic demand too with the exception of some sectors like ITeS among others. Our exports to the USA are USD 87 billion which is roughly about 2.2 per cent of our overall GDP. Largely pharma electronics etc. wont be affected for now which will further limit the export exposure to industries such as textiles gems and jewellery among others he said. Moreover these tariffs come into effect later this month and some negotiations are likely to happen before that he added. The slowdown in jobs growth is much more due to the overall slowdown in global demand and consumption uncertainty around tariffs and geopolitical conflicts in various parts of the globe he added. Meanwhile CIEL HR MD and CEO Aditya Mishra said the US tariff scenario is unsettling for Indian exporters especially in sectors that are heavily dependent on the American market such as electronics textiles gems and jewellery auto components leather footwear shrimp and engineering goods. Even industries outside the direct tariff ambit like pharmaceuticals are feeling the ripple effect through costlier upstream chemicals and materials he noted. While widespread layoffs appear unlikely at this stage companies are already in cost-containment mode reducing discretionary spending streamlining production and freezing hiring. he added. (With Inputs From PTI)