Jobs for those with social security benefits, the most important measurement of such employment, rose during the last 13 years
The latest jobs data released by the government–amidst much controversy and debate–showed a 45-year high in general unemployment, but these data have also revealed a rise in formal employment–which accounts for 35.8% of all jobs–particularly in urban, non-farm sectors.
Our findings came from a comparison we ran of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) on May 31, 2019, and the quinquennial Employment and Unemployment Survey of NSSO, 2004-05:
- The share of “regular” workers in urban areas increased over 13 years, from 35.6% in 2004-05 to 47% in 2017-18.
- The share of workers in the “formal” non-agriculture sector–government organisations, public sector enterprises, and public/private limited companies, trust/non-profit institutions and autonomous bodies–increased from 27.8% in 2004-05 to 35.8% in 2017-18.
A contradiction is also evident in the data on “decent employment”–a term used by the International Labour Organisation and by the Indian government to analyse employment conditions.
Source: Business Standard
