A Common Facility Centre giving traditional craft clusters shared machinery, training, design help, and market access.
Thoothukudi has 22,033 manufacturing MSMEs. 62.5% of self-employment loans go to the district's top industry. The Common Facility Centre under SFURTI gives artisan clusters shared equipment they could not afford individually.
76% of registered enterprises are in services while 24% are in manufacturing. Only 4% of employment is in small and medium enterprises. 84% of school-age children are enrolled in higher secondary school (classes 9–12).
In Thoothukudi, which ranks 17 of 38 in Tamil Nadu for youth opportunity, the overall opportunity score is 51.2 out of 100. It runs ahead of the national picture on employment in small and medium enterprises at 4.4%. On value added per enterprise worker at ₹1,46,561, it sits close to the national mark.