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(In UPSC Essentials’ special series ‘Society & Social Justice’, which we have started for social issues topics of UPSC CSE, our subject experts will give an overview of the theme from both, static and dynamic points of view. Our first four topics were ‘Population’ , ‘Urbanisation’, ‘Literacy’ and ‘Poverty’. As our fifth topic, we take up the topic of ‘Unemployment and associated issues’. In part 1, we focused on the basic concepts. In part 2 we talked about consequences, global impact, urban versus rural unemployment and more. In part 3 today, Manas Srivastava talks to Pranay Aggarwal about major policy initiatives, the women question, remedies and more. The topic ends with important case studies, impactful quotes and introductions so that you can have an ‘Express Edge’ in your prep.)
About the Expert: Pranay Aggarwal is an educator and mentor for aspirants preparing for UPSC Civil Services exam. With more than 10 years of experience guiding civil service aspirants, he is acknowledged as an expert on civil service exam preparation, especially on subjects such as Social Issues and Sociology. He is the India representative on the Research Committee on Education, Religion and Political Sociology for UNESCO’s International Sociological Association and a member of Indian Sociological Society and its committee on social movements. He is also the Convenor of Indian Civil Services Association, a think tank of senior bureaucrats.
Relevance of the topic: The issue of employment has been at the heart of economic policy discussions, especially in recent decades when the link between economic growth and employment generation has a social dimension too. This topic has various dimensions: factual – reflected through surveys, government reports and think tank data and analytical-based on experts’ analysis and debates revolving around them. One may have to make a note of important definitions and terminologies, data and changing trends along with connecting the dots with other related issues. It is an important theme in GS I (Society), GS II, GS III, Prelims and personality tests. Aspirants will find it relevant for essays as well.
Pranay Aggarwal: The women’s perspective on unemployment is crucial, and several specific aspects need to be highlighted:
● Lower female labour force participation: As per the PLFS survey 2021-22; in rural areas, the labour force participation rate (LFPR) for men is 56.9 per cent, while for women it is far less at 27.2 per cent. In urban areas, the gender gap in LFPR is far worse, with 58.3 per cent LFPR for men and 18.8 per cent for women.
● Gender wage gap: Women often face a gender wage gap, earning less than their male counterparts for similar roles. According to UN Women, women in India earn significantly less than men. The gender pay gap was about 28 per cent in 2018-19 and increased by another 7 per cent due to the pandemic. Addressing pay disparities is vital for ensuring equal economic opportunities and reducing gender-based unemployment.
● Occupational segregation: Women are disproportionately represented in certain industries and occupations, often in sectors with lower pay and fewer advancement opportunities. Current trends include feminisation of agriculture and poverty. Encouraging diversity across all sectors and challenging occupational stereotypes can contribute to more inclusive employment.
● Work-life balance: Balancing work and family responsibilities can be a significant challenge for women, impacting their career choices and opportunities. Policies that support flexible work arrangements, parental leave, and affordable childcare can enhance women’s participation in the workforce.
● Access to education: Unequal access to quality education can limit women’s ability to acquire the skills needed for well-paying jobs. Promoting education for girls and women in STEM fields and vocational training is essential for breaking down barriers to employment.
● Entrepreneurship opportunities: Facilitating women’s entry into entrepreneurship can be a powerful strategy for addressing unemployment. Providing financial support, mentorship programs, and networking opportunities can empower women to create and sustain businesses.
● Discrimination and bias: Gender-based discrimination and bias in hiring practices can limit women’s access to job opportunities. Raising awareness, implementing fair hiring practices, and promoting diversity and inclusion are essential steps toward overcoming these challenges.
● Digital gender divide: Women may face barriers in accessing and utilizing digital technologies, impacting their participation in the digital economy. NFHS V highlighted that only one in three women in India have ever used the internet, compared to more than half (57 per cent) of men. Bridging the digital gender divide through training programs and infrastructure development is crucial for enhancing women’s employability.
● Violence and harassment at work: Workplace harassment and violence can deter women from seeking or maintaining employment. Creating safe and inclusive work environments with robust policies against harassment is essential for women’s economic participation.
By addressing these specific challenges, societies can create an environment that fosters equal opportunities for women in the workforce, contributing to overall economic growth and development. Recognising and dismantling gender-based barriers is not only a matter of social justice but also a fundamental aspect of building a resilient and inclusive economy.
Pranay Aggarwal: Skill education and skill development play a crucial role in the employment landscape by enhancing individuals’ abilities to meet the evolving demands of the job market. The connection between skill development and employment is multifaceted:
● Improved employability: Acquiring relevant skills increases an individual’s employability. Employers seek candidates with the right set of skills that align with job requirements, making skill development essential for securing employment opportunities.
● Addressing skill mismatches: Skill development helps bridge the gap between the skills possessed by the workforce and those demanded by employers. This is particularly important in addressing structural unemployment caused by mismatches in skillsets.
● Adaptation to technological changes: In the era of rapid technological advancement, individuals need to adapt to new tools and technologies. Continuous skill development enables workers to stay abreast of industry trends and remain competitive in the job market.
● Entrepreneurship opportunities: Skill development is not only about preparing individuals for traditional employment but also empowering them to pursue entrepreneurial ventures. It fosters innovation, creativity, and the ability to create one’s own employment opportunities.
● Industry relevance: Skill education programmes designed in collaboration with industries ensure that individuals acquire skills directly applicable to the current needs of the job market. This alignment enhances the efficiency of workforce integration.
● Flexibility in career Paths: A diverse skill set provides individuals with flexibility in choosing and transitioning between different career paths. This adaptability is crucial in an environment where job roles are evolving rapidly.
● Increased Productivity: Well-trained and skilled workers tend to be more productive. Employers benefit from a skilled workforce that can contribute effectively to the organization’s goals, fostering a positive correlation between skill development and workplace productivity.
● Global Competitiveness: Countries with a skilled and adaptable workforce are more competitive in the global economy. Investing in skill development at a national level contributes to economic growth and attracts international business.
Governments, educational and training institutes, and businesses all play a role in creating an ecosystem that encourages and supports continuous skill development. Through such efforts, the connection between skill education and employment can be strengthened, resulting in a more dynamic and resilient workforce.
Pranay Aggarwal: Addressing unemployment requires a multifaceted approach involving various stakeholders. Some of the key remedies and solutions include:
● Skill Development Programs: Invest in comprehensive skill development initiatives to align the workforce with the evolving demands of the job market, enhancing employability and reducing skill mismatches.
● Education Reforms: Ensure that education curricula are designed to equip students with practical skills and knowledge relevant to current and future job markets, fostering a more seamless transition from education to employment.
● Entrepreneurship Promotion: Encourage entrepreneurship through incentives, mentorship programs, and financial support. This can stimulate job creation and innovation, particularly among the youth.
● Labor Market Information Systems: Establish robust systems to disseminate timely and accurate information about job opportunities, market trends, and required skills, reducing informational gaps between job seekers and employers.
● Infrastructure Development: Invest in infrastructure projects that generate employment, ranging from construction and transportation to renewable energy initiatives. These projects not only create immediate jobs but also contribute to long-term economic development.
● Promoting Rural Development: Implement policies that diversify rural economies, enhance agricultural productivity, and create non-agricultural employment opportunities. This can mitigate rural unemployment challenges.
● Flexible Labor Policies: Develop labor policies that balance workers’ rights with the flexibility required by businesses, promoting a conducive environment for job creation.
● Inclusive Economic Growth: Foster economic growth that benefits all segments of society, reducing income inequality and providing more equitable access to employment opportunities.
● Public-Private Partnerships: Collaborate with the private sector to create an environment conducive to business growth and job creation. Public-private partnerships can lead to innovative solutions for employment challenges.
● Technology and Innovation: Leverage technology and innovation to create new industries and job opportunities. Initiatives that promote research and development can drive economic diversification.
● Social Safety Nets: Implement and strengthen social safety net programs to support individuals during periods of unemployment, ensuring that the impact of job loss is mitigated.
● Global Collaboration: Engage in international collaborations and partnerships to tap into global markets, fostering economic resilience and creating opportunities for domestic employment.
By adopting a combination of these strategies, governments, businesses, and communities can work together to mitigate unemployment challenges and build a more resilient and inclusive job market.
Pranay Aggarwal: India has implemented several policy initiatives to address the complex challenge of unemployment. Some notable ones include:
● Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005: It guarantees 100 days of employment in a year to rural households whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Unlike other policies and schemes, it is a legal right. The act provides a legally-backed guarantee for any rural adult to get work within 15 days of demanding it; thereby serving as an effective social safety net during times of economic distress. Moreover, at least one third of MGNREGA beneficiaries have to be women.
● Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Urban Livelihoods Mission: This scheme, implemented by the Ministry of Housing & Urban Affairs, aims to reduce poverty and vulnerability of the urban poor households by enabling them to access gainful self employment and skilled wage employment opportunities.
● Aajeevika – National Rural Livelihood Mission: aims at creating efficient and effective institutional platforms for the rural poor, enabling them to increase household income through sustainable livelihood enhancements and improved access to financial services.
● Atmanirbhar Bharat Rojgar Yojana: was launched in 2020 to incentivize employers for creation of new employment along with social security benefits and restoration of loss of employment during Covid-19 pandemic.
● Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY): Incentivizes employers to generate new employment by contributing to the Employees’ Pension Scheme for eligible employees.
● Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme: This scheme, implemented by the Ministry of Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises; is a major credit-linked subsidy programme aimed at generating self-employment opportunities through establishment of micro-enterprises in the non-farm sector by helping traditional artisans and unemployed youth.
● Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana: providing loans up to 10 lakh to the non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises. These loans are classified as MUDRA loans and are given by Commercial Banks, RRBs, Small Finance Banks, MFIs and NBFCs.
● Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana: is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship implemented by the National Skill Development Corporation. It is a skill certification scheme to enable the youth to take up industry relevant skill training that will help them secure a better livelihood.
● National Career Service: is a project for the transformation of the National Employment Service to provide a variety of career related services like job matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, apprenticeships, internships etc.
Apart from these direct ones, several other policy measures also address the unemployment situation significantly, albeit indirectly. For instance, investments in infrastructure projects, such as transportation and urban development, not only contribute to economic growth but also generate employment opportunities.
The Make in India campaign, focused on boosting manufacturing, also aims to create job opportunities by promoting investment in various industries, contributing to economic growth and employment. Start-Up India, to encourage entrepreneurship and support startups, also aims to foster innovation and job creation, particularly among the youth.
Reforms in education, such as those under the NEP 2020, focusing on aligning education with market demands, enhancing vocational training, and promoting research and development; also contribute to a more skilled and adaptable workforce.
Pranay Aggarwal: A study by the Union Ministry of Textiles on employment and income generation is instructive. The Textile industry, with a direct employment of over 45 million people, is one of the largest sources of employment generation in the country. The study concluded that total employment as well as income of workers in the sector experienced positive growth from 2014 to 2018. Notably, the share of the female workforce increased from 18 percent to 25 percent.
The survey also pointed out that around 45 % units were availing the Pradhan Mantri Rozgar Protsahan Yojana. The scheme had helped to enhance income of manpower by about 12.5 percent. The study
recommended focussed policy support to high employment intensive segments to spur more investments, production and export. It also recommended participation of female workforce in labour intensive sector may be promoted with focus on training and placement.
A case study of MGNREGA implementation in Bihar by Puja Dutta, Rinku Murgai and others for the World Bank found that there was large unmet demand for work on the scheme that is not revealed by the administrative data. It also found a sizable gap between the wages actually reported by workers and those they are supposed to receive under the scheme. So workers are not getting all the work they want, and they are not getting the full wages to which they are due.
Another case study of MGNREGA by Ajit K. Ghose for the ILO concluded that while its implementation has been far from perfect, it has succeeded in providing very substantial additional wage employment to the rural poor. The result has been impressive growth of money incomes for the rural poor.
A 2022 study by NITI Aayog estimates that workers engaged in the gig economy are likely to increase from 77 lakh in 2021 to about 2.3 crore by 2030. The study also recommended that during official enumerations like PLFS, information should be collected to identify gig workers.
Pranay Aggarwal: The introduction should be brief and offer an overview of the topic. Preferably, it should be catchy and invoke a sense of curiosity or wonder in the reader/ examiner. Some sample introductions are provided below:
● Unemployment is not merely an economic statistic; it is a human condition. It is a reflection of dreams deferred and opportunities untapped. In our social lives, the unemployment scenario tells tales of both economic challenges and human resilience.
● Unemployment isn’t just about industry; it is about the whole society. It casts a long shadow that reaches far beyond numbers on a chart in the reports of the economists and policymakers. It touches lives, dreams, and the very fabric of society, demanding our attention and collective effort to unravel its complexities.
● Even as our economy has entered a decidedly higher rate of growth with economic liberalization; the benefits of the growth have not percolated down. It has been, for the most part, a period of jobless growth. Beyond the statistics, the unemployment scenario is a silent symphony of aspirations, struggles, and the quest for dignity that echoes through the corridors of the labour market.
The quotes can be used effectively to buttress one’s argument. It goes without saying that quotes should always be from well-known personalities. These could be from national leaders, internationally well-known figures and leading economists. Here are some quotes on employment and jobs:
● “In this era of Fourth Industrial Revolution, technology has become and will remain the core driver for employment.” – PM Narendra Modi
● “I believe that for a nation to prosper, it is very important that its people are employed and the nation is self-reliant.” – M.K. Gandhi
● “We need to give importance to skill development because this way we can end unemployment.” – PM Narendra Modi
● “The best social program is a good job.” – Bill Clinton
● “You take my life when you take the means whereby I live.” -William Shakespeare
● “Happiness does not come from money. It can come from taking pride in one’s work and recognizing its contribution to society as a whole. So it is of primary importance that in a society, there are jobs for people to work and feed their families.” – M.K. Gandhi
● “India has the potential to become one of the largest providers of skilled workforce in the world.” – PM Narendra Modi
Beware that nowadays a lot of fake and misattributed quotes are floating around the web.
Before quoting anyone in your answers, be doubly sure that the person really said what you are attributing to him or her. All the above mentioned quotes have been cross-checked and are authentic.
The conclusion, of course, has to be tailor made to each essay. It should follow from the content of the essay. It should wrap up your whole argument in a nutshell. It may be advisable to end on an optimistic note while writing the conclusion on any societal challenges like unemployment. Some sample conclusions are suggested below:
● As we stand at the doorway of a New India; let the past lessons on unemployment propel us towards innovation, compassion, and a commitment to crafting a labour market that empowers individuals, fuels dreams, and contributes to the flourishing of our shared humanity.
● Behind every labour market statistic lies a human story – a story of resilience, adaptation, and the unwavering spirit to rise above economic challenges. It is our collective responsibility to create a future society where ways for making an honest living are plenty.
● In the pursuit of economic prosperity, let us not lose sight of the human dimensions of unemployment. The solutions we seek should make sense not only to the economists and think tanks. They should resonate with the heartbeat of the ordinary people, who yearn for equitable opportunities and a brighter tomorrow.
Hope these help!
UPSC Essentials | Society and Social Justice : Unemployment and associated issues (Part 2)
UPSC Essentials | Society and Social Justice : Unemployment and associated issues (Part 1)
UPSC Essentials: Society & Social Justice | Population and associated issues (Part 1)
UPSC Essentials: Society & Social Justice | Population and associated issues (Part 2)
UPSC Essentials| Society & Social Justice — Urbanisation and associated issues (Part 1)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Urbanisation and associated issues (Part 2)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Urbanisation and associated issues (Part 3)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Literacy and associated issues (Part 1)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Literacy and associated issues (Part 2)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Literacy and associated issues (Part 3)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Poverty and associated issues (Part 1)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Poverty and associated issues (Part 2)
UPSC Essentials | Society & Social Justice : Poverty and associated issues (Part 3)
Share your views, answers and suggestions in the comment box or at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com. You can also post your doubts, questions, and suggest themes on topics related to Society and Social Justice.
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