SAIL signs MoU with MDI, Gurgaon for Executive Education Program (See 'Corp Brief') Govt hosts Bharat Innovates Investor Showcase; 24 deep-tech start-ups participate (See 'Corp Brief') SARFAESI - Pre-deposit u/s 18 of SARFAESI Act cannot be completely waived for entertaining appeal before DRAT: HC (See 'Legal Desk') SEBI, NISM & IICA sign MoU to advance corporate covernance, ESG (See 'Corp Brief') BRICS Youth Council Entrepreneurship Working Group concludes discussions on innovation & sustainable enterprise (See 'Corp Brief') Misc - Embargo under RBI Master Circular dated July 1, 2015 cannot be mechanically continued for five years after removal of borrower's name from list of wilful defaulters if account was settled by compromise: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Women participation under APY reaches record 55.14% during FY 2025-26 (See 'Corp Brief') National Review Meeting for Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0 to be held in New Delhi (See 'Corp Brief') Gadkari reviews progress and Quality of NH Projects in Assam (See 'Corp Brief') CCI approves acquisition of equity in Neysa Networks by BCP Asia II Topco V Pte. (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - If patent claim is only to device embodied in chip, royalty or damages cannot be assessed on basis of entire end product: HC (See 'Legal Desk') CCI okays acquisition of stake of Restaurant Brands Asia by Lenexis Foodworks (See 'Corp Brief') CCI nod for acquisition of Baharampore-Farakka Highways Toll Roads by Cube Highways Trust (See 'Corp Brief') India, South Korea sign agreements for cooperation in Defence Cyber (See 'Corp Brief') Scindia launches Mission on 'Arunachal Kiwi: The USP of Arunachal Pradesh' (See 'Corp Brief') A&C - Invocation of arbitration u/s 21 is not consent to appointment, and that subsequent participation in proceedings does not by itself constitute express written waiver: HC (See 'Legal Desk') DFS organises Half-Day Workshop on IBC Amendment Act, 2026 (See 'Corp Brief') National Seminar on 'New Age Fibres – Innovation, Research and the Road Ahead' inaugurated (See 'Corp Brief') National Commission for Minorities organizes Conference of State Minorities Commissions (See 'Corp Brief') IPR - Sec 17 of Trade Marks Act does not prevent protection of prominent part of composite mark where that part is distinctive: HC (See 'Legal Desk') MoS launches Ayush Anudan Portal under Ayush Grid Initiative (See 'Corp Brief') Coal Production commences from Urtan and Dhirauli Mines in MP (See 'Corp Brief') Govt's TEAM Initiative empowering Small Businesses through Digital Commerce Enablement (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Provisional attachment not invalidated due to lack of competency of officer; amended provisions do not apply to transactions prior to 2016 amendment if property continues to be held: SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') MoRD charts roadmap for Women-Led Rural Marketing Ecosystems (See 'Corp Brief') Pharmacopoeia Commission organizes 5-Day Capacity Building Training (See 'Corp Brief') Saurabh Vijay assumes charge as CEO of Unique Identification Authority of India (See 'Corp Brief') Companies Act - Appellant company directed to change its name where it significantly resembles the name of a pre-existing company and may cause confusion: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Minister reviews technology-led underground mining, integrated smelting operations (See 'Corp Brief') Scientific Steering Committee Meeting on National One Health Mission Held in New Delhi (See 'Corp Brief') Govt launches campaign to reduce edible oil consumption (See 'Corp Brief') PMLA - Provisional attachment unsustainable when Initiating Officer fails to establish source of consideration & beneficial ownership as per Section 2(9)(A): SAFEMA (See 'Legal Desk') HM inaugurates 'Million Minds Tech Park' and 'GREMI City Campus' in Ahmedabad (See 'Corp Brief') Amit Shah inaugurates State-of-the-Art Milk Processing Plant of Madhur Dairy (See 'Corp Brief') Experts Discuss Yoga for Youth and Mental Wellness in Digital Era (See 'Corp Brief') Misc - RBI circular dated June 07, 2019 on 'Prudential Framework for Resolution of Stressed Assets' was policy decision taken by expert body in larger public interest: HC (See 'Legal Desk') GeM continues to support Digital Public Procurement System (See 'Corp Brief') Ministry of Education reviews strategy for mainstreaming Out-of-School children (See 'Corp Brief') Misc - NBFC cannot reposses financed vehicle through coercive means, without adherence to due process of law and in violation of RBI recovery guidelines: HC (See 'Legal Desk') Supreme Court lays down scenarios for lifting of Doctrine of Corporate Veil (See 'CORP EINSICHTf')

Print

6.2 Crore net subscribers joined EPFO between Sept, 2017 - March, 2024

Published: Jul 09, 2024

By TIOLCorplaws News Service

NEW DELHI, JULY 09, 2024: ACCORDING to PLFS and RBI's KLEMS data, India has generated more than 8 crore (80 million) employment opportunities from 2017-18 to 2021-22. This translates to an average of over 2 crore (20 million) employment per year, despite of the fact that the world economy was hit by COVID-19 pandemic during 2020-21 which contradicts Citigroup's assertion of India's inability to generate sufficient employment. This significant employment creation demonstrates the effectiveness of various government initiatives aimed at boosting employment across sectors.

PLFS data

The Annual PLFS report depicts an improving trend in labour market indicators related to: (i) Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), (ii) Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and (iii) Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons of age 15 years and above during 2017-18 to 2022-23. For instance, the WPR i.e. employment has increased from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 56% in 2022-23. Similarly, the labour force participation has also increased in the country from 49.8% in 2017-18 to 57.9% in 2022-23. The Unemployment Rate has declined from 6.0 % in 2017-18 to a low of 3.2% in 2022-23.

The PLFS data shows that during the last 5 years, more employment opportunities have been generated compared to the number of people joining the labour force, resulting in a consistent reduction in the unemployment rate. This is a clear indicator of the positive impact of government policies on employment. Contrary to the report, which suggests a dire employment scenario, the official data reveals a more optimistic picture of the Indian job market.

EPFO Data

The formal sector employment figures are also being bolstered by government efforts to improve ease of doing business, enhance skill development, and provide incentives for job creation in both the public and private sectors. The EPFO data suggests that more and more workers are joining formal jobs. During 2023-24, more than 1.3 crore subscribers joined EPFO which is more than double compared to 61.12 lakh joined EPFO during 2018-19. Moreover, during last six and half years (since September, 2017 to March, 2024) more than 6.2 crore net subscribers have joined EPFO.

New subscribers to NPS

The data from National Pension System (NPS) indicates that more than 7.75 lakh new subscribers have joined the NPS during 2023-24 under the Central and State governments which is 30% more than 5.94 lakh new subscribers joining NPS under government sector during 2022-23. This substantial increase in new subscribers highlights the government's proactive measures to fill-up the vacancies in public sector in timely manner.

Flexi-staffing sector

In a recent interaction of Indian Staffing Federation (ISF) members with Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, ISF members informed that they are employing about 5.4 million formal contract workers. Nearly 30% demand in the sector remains unfulfilled at frontline across manufacturing, retail, banking due to talent shortages and labour mobility. 

Multiple new opportunities

The future prospects of the employment market in India are highly encouraging, as evidenced by data from various sources. The Global Capability Centers (GCCs) in India have shown remarkable growth in recent years. The gig economy also promises significant increase in workforce in the country. Notably, the NITI Aayog report on gig economy projects a substantial increase in platform workers, which is expected to reach 2.35 crore (23.5 million) by 2029-30, underscoring the rapid expansion of the gig economy. The gig workers are expected to form 6.7% of the non-agricultural workforce or 4.1% of the total livelihood in India by 2029-30. These developments collectively reflect India's robust economic trajectory and its potential to generate diverse employment opportunities.

Data Credibility

It is well known that the private data sources, which the report/media refers to as more reliable, has several shortcomings. These surveys use their own derived definition of employment - unemployment which is not aligned to either national or international standards. The sample distribution and methodology are often critiqued for not being as robust or representative as official data sources like PLFS. Therefore, reliance on such private data sources over official statistics can lead to misleading conclusions and thus, should be used with caution.

Further, some authors use data selectively which undermines the credibility of their analysis and does not present an accurate picture of the employment scenario in India. Such reports fail to consider the positive trends and comprehensive data from official sources.

Summary

The official data sources like PLFS, RBI, EPFO, etc. show consistent improvements in the key labour market indicators, including increased Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and a declining Unemployment Rate during last five years. EPFO and NPS data further support the positive employment trends. The trends in manufacturing, expanding service sector, infrastructure growth, apart from others, including emerging opportunities in multiple sectors such as gig and platform economy and GCCs indicate robust future prospects.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment emphasizes the credibility and comprehensiveness of official data, cautioning against the selective use of private data sources that can lead to misleading conclusions about India's employment scenario.

The Government remains committed to creating a robust and inclusive job market, and the evidence suggests substantial progress is being made in this direction.

TIOL CORP SEARCH

TIOL GROUP WEBSITES

taxindiaonline
taxindiainternational
tioltube
TKF
TIOLawards
A TIOL Website. Copyright © 2025 TIOLcorplaws.com All rights reserved.