Lok Sabha Question No. 2269 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-12-09
Subject: Losses of Job in Informal Sector
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Shri K Gopinath

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.2269 TO BE ANSWERED ON 09 TH  DECEMBER, 2024

## LOSSES OF JOB IN INFORMAL SECTOR

2269.  SHRI K GOPINATH:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  according  to  the  Annual  Reports  of  National  Sample  Survey Office (NSSO), the informal sector has suffered an enormous job loss to the tune of 9.5 million from 2015 to 2024;
- (b)
- if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) the  details  of  reasons  for  the  loss  of  employment  opportunities  in  the State of Tamil Nadu and the details of remedial actions contemplated?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a)  to  (c):  The  data  on  Employment  and  Unemployment  is  collected  through Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by Ministry of Statistics  and  Programme  Implementation  (MoSPI)  since 2017-18.  The  survey period is July to June every year.

As per the data available in latest Annual PLFS Reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above indicating employment has increased from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 58.2% in 2023-24. During the same period, Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased from 6.0% to 3.2%.

Moreover, in the state of Tamil Nadu, WPR on usual status for persons of age  15  years  and  above  indicating  employment  has  increased  from  51.0%  in 2017-18 to 56.8% in 2023-24. During the same period, UR on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased from 7.5% to 3.5%.

Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) exclusively measures various economic and operational characteristics of unincorporated non-agricultural  establishments  in  manufacturing,  trade  and  other  services sector.

As per the available ASUSE reports, the estimated number of workers in unincorporated non-agricultural sector has increased from 9.79 crores in 202122 to 10.96 crores in 2022-23.

Further,  more  than  7  crore  net  subscribers  have  joined  Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) between September 2017 and September 2024 indicating increase in formalization of the job market.

The KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, M: Materials and S: Services) database  published  by  Reserve  Bank  of  India  (RBI)  provides  employment estimates at all India level. As per the latest data of the database, provisional estimates for 2023-24, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in year 2023-24 compared to 47.15 crore in 2014-15. Total increase in employment during 2014-15 to 2023-24 is about 17.18 crore.

Employment  generation  coupled  with  improving  employability  is  the priority  of  the  Government.  Accordingly,  the  Government  of  India  has  taken various steps for generating employment in the country including Tamil Nadu.

The various Ministries/ Departments of Government of India like Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology etc. are implementing different employment generation schemes/ programmes like Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya  Yojana  (DDU-GKY),  Rural  Self  Employment  and  Training  Institutes (RSETIs),    Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana-National  Urban  Livelihoods  Mission (DAY-NULM),  Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana  (PMMY),    etc.,  which,  along  with increase  in  capital  expenditure,  seeks  to  boost  employment  creation.  The details of various employment generation schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government of India may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes\_programmes.

Further,  Government  announced  in  the  Budget  2024-25,  the  Prime Minister's  package  of  5  schemes  and  initiatives  to  facilitate  employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crores.

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