Their labour force participation has increased. And there’s a surge in female enrolment in higher education. Wait till those groups come on board
In our previous article “A Jobful Economy” we documented the employment results emerging from almost 30 years of NSSO/PLFs survey data on employment (since 2017/18, the PLFS data). No one doubts the success of the Indian growth story in terms of GDP growth – annual per capita growth of 4.5% over 30 odd years, and now expected to be the fastest growing major economy over the next five.
We revisit the PLFS data to examine a prominent misunderstanding, or misinterpretation, about the Indian economy. In particular, questions have been raised about the low female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) in India, especially compared to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The latter countries have FLFPR in the mid-30s ie, about 35% of working age women work.
We revisit the PLFS data to examine a prominent misunderstanding, or misinterpretation, about the Indian economy. In particular, questions have been raised about the low female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) in India, especially compared to neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. The latter countries have FLFPR in the mid-30s ie, about 35% of working age women work.