  Rapid rise in income inequality in India is a serious concern. While the
emphasis is on inclusive growth, it seems difficult to tackle the problem
without looking at the intricacies of the problem. Social mobility is one such
important tool which helps in reaching the cause of the problem and focuses on
bringing long term equality in the country. The purpose of this study is to
examine the role of social background and education attainment in generating
occupation mobility in the country. By applying an extended version of the RC
association model to 68th round (2011-12) of the Employment and Unemployment
Survey by the National Sample Survey Office of India, we found that the role of
education is not important in generating occupation mobility in India, while
social background plays a critical role in determining one's occupation. This
study successfully highlights the strong intergenerational occupation
immobility in the country and also the need to focus on education. In this
regard, further studies are needed to uncover other crucial factors limiting
the growth of individuals in the country.
