It has been for the first time that the working male population of the country has dwindled since 1993-94, data from NSSO’s Periodic Labour Force Survey 2017-18, which is not yet released by the government, says. From 30.4 crore male workers in 2011-12 to 28.6 crore in 2017-18, the drop is substantial considering that the workforce had ballooned in the last two decades by 8.5 crore, The Indian Express reported.
The fall in the workforce is suggestive of fewer fresh job opportunities and rising unemployment, The Indian Express said quoting unidentified experts. “Overall, the PLFS 2017-18 reported a 6.1 per cent unemployment rate, a sharp jump from 2.2 per cent reported in 2011-12,” it said.
Urban-rural divide
Rural India has witnessed a higher decline in its workforce at 6.4% compared to the 4.7% reduction in urban Indian workforce.
Regarding unemployment status, the unreleased PLFS report highlighted that 7.1% of males belonging to the urban areas are unemployed whereas the same stood at 5.8% for rural populace.
Male-female disparity
Experts have been divided for some time on the whole jobless narrative, with some questioning and some even dissing it. However, the NSSO report sheds some light over the matter. The actual workforce loss has been translated to 4.7 crore, cumulative of both the rural and urban workforce, compared to the findings of 2011-12. Also, the present report suggests that the women workforce was the worst hit in the rural segment (at 68%) while the men incurred more job losses (at 96%) in the urban areas.
The previous report of 2011-12 had also revealed that rural women have suffered major employment loss. The working women population of rural India had witnessed a decline of 22 million in the duration of 2004-05 to 2011-12, The Indian Express said. Male population, on the other hand, had seen 13 million jump.