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Informalisation of Indian Workforce

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Estimated time: 20 minutes
CBSE: Class 12

Meaning of Informal Sector

Formal sector includes:

  • All public sector establishments.
  • Private sector establishments with 10 or more hired workers.

Informal sector includes:

  • Small enterprises (fewer than 10 hired workers).
  • Most farmers and agricultural labourers.
  • Owners of small enterprises and people working in those enterprises.
  • Self-employed persons without hired workers.
  • Non-farm casual wage labourers (e.g., construction workers, head-load workers).
CBSE: Class 12

Social Security Benefits

Feature Formal Sector Informal Sector
Maternity Benefit Available Not available
Provident Fund (PF) Available Not available
Gratuity Available Not available
Pension Available Not available

Statistical Data (2011–12)

  • Total workers in India: ~473 million
  • Formal sector workers: ~30 million (≈6%)
  • Informal sector workers: ~94% of total workforce
  • About 20% of formal sector workers were women.
  • About 30% of informal sector workers were women.
CBSE: Class 12

Informalisation is a Concern

  • Development planning aimed to shift workers from agriculture to higher-quality industrial jobs.
  • However, more than half of India's workforce still depends on farming.
  • Formal sector employment has not been growing sufficiently.
  • Most workers remain in the informal sector and lack social security, making them economically vulnerable.
CBSE: Class 12

Policy Response

  • Since the late 1970s, India and other developing countries shifted focus towards enterprises and workers in the informal sector.
  • Efforts influenced by the International Labour Organisation (ILO).
  • Policy goals:
    • Modernisation of informal sector enterprises.
    • Extension of social security measures to informal sector workers.
CBSE: Class 12

Case Study: Ahmedabad Textile Mills

Event:

  • Textile mills in Ahmedabad began closing in the early 1980s.

Impact:

  • Approximately 80,000 permanent workers and over 50,000 non-permanent workers lost their jobs.
  • Workers were pushed into the informal sector and poverty.

Consequences:

  • Economic recession.
  • Communal riots.
  • Alcoholism and suicides.
  • Children withdrawn from school and sent to work.
CBSE: Class 12

Activity: Identify Informal Sector Workers

Worker Sector
Hotel worker (hotel with 7 hired workers and 3 family workers) Informal
Private school teacher (school with 25 teachers) Formal
Police constable Formal
Nurse in a government hospital Formal
Cycle-rickshaw puller Informal
Owner of a textile shop employing 9 workers Informal
Driver of a bus company with more than 10 buses and 20 workers Formal
Civil engineer working in a construction company with 10 workers Formal
Computer operator in a state government office (temporary basis) Formal
Clerk in the electricity office Formal
CBSE: Class 12

Key Points: Informalisation of Indian Workforce

  • The formal sector covers all public sector establishments and private firms with 10 or more hired workers; all other enterprises and workers belong to the informal sector.
  • Informal workers generally lack social security benefits like Provident Fund, gratuity, pension, and maternity benefit.
  • In 2011–12, about 94% of India's 473 million workers were employed in the informal sector, while only about 6% were in the formal sector.
  • Despite development planning, more than half of India's workforce continues to depend on agriculture.
  • The Ahmedabad textile mill closures in the 1980s are a key example of informalisation pushing workers into poverty and social distress.
  • Since the late 1970s, ILO-influenced policies have focused on modernising the informal sector and extending social security to informal workers.
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