India Sees 35% Employment Growth in Six Years, Child Labour on Decline

The employment in India grew by over 35% to 64.33 crore by March 2024, a rise of around 16.83 crore from 2017-18. The manufacturing sector saw a significant increase in job opportunities. To combat child labour, the government has implemented comprehensive legislative and socio-economic measures.

The employment in the country increased by more than 35 per cent over the last six fiscal years to 64.33 crore as of March 2024, Parliament was informed on Thursday.

The total increase in employment from 2017-18 to 2023-24 is around 16.83 crore, Minister of State (MoS) for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said in a reply to Rajya Sabha.

As per the Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) latest KLEMS data, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in the year 2023-24 compared to 47.5 crore in 2017-18, she added.

The KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, M: Materials and S: Services) database, published by the RBI, provides employment trends at all India levels.

The manufacturing sector (formal and informal entities) saw an increase of 85 lakh employment opportunities from 2017-18 to 2022-23, the minister added.

On the issue of child labour, Karandlaje, in a separate reply said, it is an outcome of various social economic problems such as poverty, economic backwardness, lack of access to basic services, illiteracy, etc.

The government is pursuing a multipronged strategy to eliminate child labour and has taken comprehensive measures which include legislative actions, rehabilitation strategy, providing the right to free education and promoting general socio-economic development.

The Ministry of Labour & Employment has framed a model State Action Plan enumerating the action points to be taken by respective state governments for the eradication of child labour, she added.