Changing Structure of Employment in Indian States

The study attempts a comparative assessment of the changing employment situation in major Indian states, measured in terms of worker-population ratios and the distribution of workers into status groups, gender categories and industrial divisions. The change is seen as part of a transformative process, when labour markets mature into organized entities, based in urban areas and governed by civic authorities. Such transformation leads to an increase of non-agricultural employment, measured using two criteria: (i) rising share of formal employment and (ii) consistent increase of women in paid employment. Twenty major states are examined in relation to the direction and pace of change, using data from two national sample surveys held in 1999-2000 and 2011-12.