RURAL LABOUR ENQUIRY (61^st Round of N.S.S.) 2004–05 REPORT ON EMPLOYMENT & UNEMPLOYMENT OF RURAL LABOUR HOUSEHOLDS ( MAIN REPORT)

CHAPTER IV

INCIDENCE OF UNEMPLOYMENT

INTRODUCTION

            Ever since the initiation of planning in India in 1950, the Government of India has laid stress on increasing employment and eventually eradicating unemployment from the country. Though there exists huge unemployment in India, both in urban and rural areas, yet the incidence of unemployment in rural areas deserves special attention as two-third of population still lives in rural areas. Further, as majority of population in rural areas still depends on agriculture and owing to seasonality in agriculture, there is peculiar and acute unemployment in rural India.  In the peak agricultural season, almost every person, who is in need of a job is able to get some work whereas in agricultural lean season, the majority of the workers, particularly those who depend upon wage-paid employment for earning their livelihood, remain either unemployed or have to compromise themselves with some petty jobs resulting in meagre earnings.  The job opportunities available outside agriculture within rural areas are inadequate to absorb the labour, rendered jobless during agricultural lean season.  The prevalence of disguised unemployment in agricultural sector further aggravates the problem of rural masses.  In this chapter, an attempt has been made to measure the extent of unemployment among men, women and child workers belonging to rural and agricultural labour households.  The term ‘unemployment’ connotes only those days on which the worker was available for work but there was no economic activity at all, due to non-availability of work.  Absence from work could be either due to non-availability of work or non-availability of persons for work for reasons such as sickness, bad weather, festivals, etc.  Though the estimates for both of these two categories have been presented separately, only the former has been taken as actual unemployment.

UNEMPLOYMENT OF USUALLY OCCUPIED PERSONS

a)  Rural Labour Households

(i)  All Classes

            State-wise data on duration of days not worked in respect of usually occupied men, women and children belonging to all the four groups of rural labour households are presented in Statements 4.1.1.1.1 to 4.1.1.1.3.  During 2004–05, taking all occupations together, the average annual number of days not worked by men workers belonging to all rural labour households at all-India level was 74 days. Out of these, 46 days were on account of non-availability of work and as such constituted the duration of actual unemployment.  The remaining 28 days were attributed to unemployment due to reasons such as sickness, bad weather, festivals, marriages, etc.  The corresponding figures of average annual number of days not worked by  women  workers were 115 days in 2004–05 as against 109 days in 1999 – 2000, which shows  an increasing trend in the number of days not worked.  It is observed that the actual days of unemployment i.e. due to non-availability of work had increased in 2004–05, both for men and women, as compared to 1999 – 2000.  An increasing trend was also observed in the unemployment duration, in respect of men and  women workers engaged in ‘agricultural labour’ and ‘non-agricultural labour’ occupations. The unemployment duration in ‘other occupations’, however, registered a marginal decline in the case of both men and women workers belonging to all rural labour households. 

 The summary figures on days not worked with break up ‘available for work’ and ‘not available for work’ are given in the following table 4.1(a).

Table 4.1 (a)

Average Annual Number of Days not Worked by Usually Occupied Persons belonging to Rural Labour Households

                                                                                                                                  (in number of days)

Table 4.1 (a)

State-wise analysis revealed that all major states except Gujarat, Haryana, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal experienced an increase in number of days not worked by men workers belonging to all rural labour households in 2004–05 as compared to 1999-2000.  The major states, which reported the duration of days not worked above the national average of 74 days, were Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal.  In case of women workers, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh reported the duration of days not worked higher than the national average of 115 days. 

(ii)  Scheduled Castes

            State-wise data on average duration of days not worked by usually occupied men, women and children belonging to scheduled castes rural labour households have been presented in Statements 4.1.1.2.1 to 4.1.1.2.3.  In respect of all occupations taken together, the duration of days not worked in 2004–05 for men and women belonging to scheduled caste households was reported at 80 and 120 days, respectively.  The corresponding figures for men and women workers in 1999-2000 were 71 and 116 days.   The actual days of unemployment for men and women workers also increased from 39 and 33 days in 1999-2000 to 53 and 48 days, respectively, in 2004 – 2005.  An overall increasing trend was also observed in the unemployment duration of workers engaged in ‘agricultural labour’ and ‘non-agricultural labour’ occupations. 

            Among major states, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal reported higher duration of days not worked than the national average of 80 days in respect of men workers belonging to scheduled castes rural labour households.  In the case of women workers, among major states, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Uttar Pradesh reported higher duration of days not worked than the national average of 120 days.

(iii)  Scheduled Tribes

            State-wise data on duration of days not worked by usually occupied men, women and child workers belonging to scheduled tribe rural labour households are presented in statements 4.1.1.3.1 to 4.1.1.3.3.  Taking all  occupations together, the duration of days not worked in respect of men and women workers belonging to scheduled tribes rural labour households were reported at 63 and 109 days in 2004–05  as against 57 and 98 days, respectively, in 1999-2000.   In case of actual days of unemployment also, an overall increasing trend was observed in all categories of workers.  An overall increasing trend was also observed in the duration of actual unemployment of men workers engaged in ‘agricultural labour’ and ‘non-agricultural labour’ occupations.  The figure for ‘other occupation’, however, remained at the previous level of 12 days.  In case of women workers also, unemployment due to non-availability of work increased in respect of workers engaged in ‘agricultural labour’, ‘non-agricultural labour’ and ‘other occupations’.  

Among major states, the duration of days not worked by men workers belonging to scheduled tribes rural labour households was higher than the all-India average of 63 days in Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.  The maximum duration of days not worked among major states was observed in the state of Kerala (149 days) and the minimum in the state of Bihar (20 days).  In the case of women workers, the states of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Kerala, Maharashtra, Orissa, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal reported higher duration of days not worked than the national average of 109 days. The maximum duration of days not worked by women workers was reported in Kerala (201 days) and the minimum in Assam (39 days).

(iv )  Other Backward Classes

            State-wise data on duration of days not worked by usually occupied men, women and children belonging to other backward classes households have been presented in Statements 4.1.1.4.1 to 4.1.1.4.3.  It may be seen from the statements that the duration of unemployment has increased in 2004-05 over 1999-2000 in respect of all the three categories of workers.  

In case of male workers, the major states which reported higher duration of days not worked than the all India average of 75 days were Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Tamil Nadu. In case of women workers, Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh reported higher duration of days not worked than the all India average of 116 days.

b)  Agricultural Labour Households

            State-wise data on days not worked by usually occupied men, women and child workers belonging to agricultural labour households are presented in Statements 4.1.2.1.1 to 4.1.2.4.3.   The summary of data on average annual days not worked by usually occupied workers belonging to agricultural labour households  is given in table 4.2 (b) .

Table 4.2 (b)

Average Annual Number of Days not Worked by Usually Occupied Persons belonging to Agricultural Labour Households

                                                                                                                                           (in number of days)

Table 4.2 (b)

Although majority of the rural labour households belonged to agricultural labour households, yet the pattern of unemployment among usually occupied persons belonging to agricultural labour households was quite different from the one observed in the case of rural labour households.  As compared to previous round survey, an overall declining trend in the duration of unemployment was observed in respect of all the categories of workers belonging to agricultural labour households barring men of all classes, women of other backward classes and children of scheduled tribes households where a marginal increase in the duration of unemployment was noticed.