Amid Rising Unemployment, Scholar Urges Focus on Jobs in Elections
Abdullah Salam, Staff Correspondent
NEW DELHI: Amid calls from scholars for political parties to prioritize job creation instead of divisive rhetoric in the ongoing general elections, a new report by the Azim Premji organization has highlighted alarmingly high female unemployment rates in several Indian states, including Bihar and Rajasthan. The report suggests that societal factors in these states may be discouraging women from entering the workforce.
The report reveals that Bihar and Rajasthan have the highest female unemployment rates in the country. It further identifies Uttarakhand, Jharkhand, and Uttar Pradesh as states with similarly high female unemployment.
While the national urban female unemployment rate saw a significant drop (22%) between 2017-18 and 2021-22, the report points out a concerning disparity. While male unemployment decreased by only 7.8% in urban areas during this period, female unemployment saw a much steeper decline. This suggests that women may be facing greater pressure to leave the workforce compared to men.
The report also sheds light on a potential link between spousal income and female employment. It finds that women with higher-earning husbands tend to work less, especially in rural areas. However, interestingly, the report notes that urban women with higher-earning husbands are more likely to be employed compared to their rural counterparts. This suggests that urban environments might offer more opportunities for women to work regardless of their spouse’s income.
As India’s unemployment rate continues to climb in the post-Covid era, scholars and activists are calling on political parties to prioritize job creation over divisive issues like communalism in the ongoing general elections.
Speaking on the issue of employment, Dr. M Alam, a researcher scholar, expressed concerns over the lack of substantive proposals to tackle unemployment in party manifestos and campaign rhetoric so far. He urged politicians and political parties to make employment a central plank rather than fixating on “trivial issues” that stoke tensions between communities.
“At a time when millions of Indians, especially youth, are struggling to find jobs, it is disappointing that political parties are not giving this crisis the urgency it deserves,” Alam said. “Instead of putting forward concrete plans to boost employment, we are witnessing regressive rhetoric that divides society along communal lines,” he added.
Dr. Irfan, another scholar highlighted data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy that pegs India’s unemployment rate at a staggering 8.3% as of March 2024 – far above the global average. He warned that failure to generate sufficient job opportunities could fuel social unrest and pessimism in the country.
According to CMIE’s Consumer Pyramids Household Survey, the unemployment rate in India increased to 8.1% in last month from 7.4% in March 2024. The unemployment rate raised in urban India as well as in rural India. Rural unemployment rate went up to 7.8% in April from 7.1% in March. Urban unemployment rate rose from 8.1% to 8.7%.
They comments come amid four phases of parliamentary polls completed and the polling for the fifth phase is underway. The scholars echoed wider concerns that bread-and-butter issues like employment have taken a backseat to emotive debates around religion and identity.