Labour Demands
Anganwadi Workers Rise in Protest
Throughout 2024 India’s frontline community health workers struck work in some state of the country, demanding a salary and benefits instead of an honorarium. They tackle critical issues of maternal and child health, early childhood care, and nutrition. They also double as play school teachers.
In January 2024 more than a lakh anganwadi workers were on indefinite strike in Andhra Pradesh, defying arrests and the invocation of ESMA, the Essential Services Maintenance Act of 1971. Their wanted an increase in compensation from the current Rs 11,500 per month to Rs 26,000, and a proportional increase in payment to helpers Instead of an ‘honorarium’. Anganwadi workers want a regular government employee status and corresponding salary, implementation of PF and Gratuity, along with medical benefits, leaves, and pension. Their demands included withdrawal of compulsory use of the ‘Facial Recognition App for Identification,’ which is essentially a surveillance tool.
In February in Maharashtra, anganwadi workers went on a strike which lasted 54 days. Their movement was revived after the honorarium of ASHA workers in Maharashtra were increased to Rs 15,000 per month. They have been demanding an honorarium of not less than Rs 18,000 per month. Anganwadi workers are unionised in different parts of the country, and are supported by the major trade unions. They protested in September in Ranchi, in October in Punjab, and in December in Odisha.
The positive development in 2024 for anganwadi workers was the Tripura High Court ruling that the Payment Of Gratuity Act was applicable to retired anganwadi workers and helpers. It could establish a precedent for use by this category of workers in other states. But soon after ruling the minister for social welfare said that the state government has decided in principle to move the Supreme Court against the high court order. There is no evidence as yet that an appeal has been filed.
U.P. govt. to outsource hiring of over 10,000 teachers to ease burden on anganwadi workers
The Uttar Pradesh government has decided to outsource over 10,000 teaching jobs across 75 districts in the State in order to ease the burden on anganwadi workers, who double as playschool teachers for children aged three to six, read an official communication.
Women in the Workforce
Trends in women’s employment, 2024-25
The annual report of the latest Period Labour Force Survey (2023-24) released in September 2024 shows that the rural female labour force participation rate for women above 15 years of age has increased from 24.6% in 2017-18 to 47.6% in 2023-24. in urban areas the corresponding increase is from 20.4% to 28%. The male rural and urban LFPR (15 years and above) has seen a smaller change in this period.
There has also been a corresponding increasing in self-employment. The proportion of women workers in rural areas who are in the self-employed category has increased from 57.7% in 2017-18 to 73.5% in 2023-24. A high proportion (more than half) are in the helper in household enterprise category. Self-employment is high among men as well but does not see a similar increase – 57.8% in rural areas in 2017-18 to 59.4% in 2023-24.
In urban areas too the share of self-employment among women workers has gone up, from 34.8% in 2017-18 to 42.3% in 2023-24. Analysing this data in The Wire, economist Dipa Sinha suggests that since self-employment in India does not usually represent profitable entrepreneurial ventures, its increase could be read as a sign of distress where in the absence of any other gainful employment opportunities people are finding ways to fend for themselves.
She says that even when one looks at the earnings from self-employment, women’s earnings are very low and the gender gap remains huge. For the year 2023-24, the highest earning from self-employment is reported for the April to June 2024 quarter – Rs 14,564 for rural males and Rs 5,218 for rural females; Rs 23,480 for urban males and Rs 8,492 for urban females. Therefore, women in self-employment earn only about one-third of what men do. The average earning for women in rural areas is much less than one lakh per annum and in urban areas it is just about a lakh. Even as the finance minister talked of crating more “lakhpati didis” in the Interim Budget 2024.
Meanwhile data from a different all-India survey, the Time Use Survey, was published in February 2025. During 2024, 75 percent of the males and 25 per cent of the females in the age group 15-59 years, participated in employment and related activities during the reference period of 24 hours. Such participation was 70.9 percent for males and 21.8 percent for females in the age group 15-59 years during 2019, the year of the first survey. Female participants aged 15-59 years in unpaid domestic services spent about 315 minutes during 2019 in those activities, which has come down to 305 minutes during 2024 signifying the shift from unpaid to paid activities. 41 per cent of females aged 15-59 years participated in caregiving for their household members, male participation in this age group in such caregiving was 21.4 per cent.
News from States
The Picture from the States
Tamil Nadu’s women make up nearly half of India’s female factory workforce. Data from the 2021-22 Annual Survey of Industries shows that of the 14.9 lakh registered women workers across India, 6.3 lakh — or 42 percent — were working in factories in Tamil Nadu. Nearly 70 percent of all women working in industries are employed in the southern states of Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.
As for women in government services, Uttar Pradesh has the second most district magistrates after Tamil Nadu. The Print called it a surprise ‘pink power’ poster child. UP has 14 women district magistrates, with Bahraich as the jewel in the crown for its all-female administration. Many are driving woman-centric measures, from pink autos to feeding rooms.
In terms of women in entrepreneurship, Goa is among India’s top states for female-led startups, with over a third run by women—well above national average of 18%. Ease of doing business and work-life balance are big draws.
Mainstreaming Women
Job opportunities for women in India surge by 48%, led by growth in tech & emerging roles: foundit
The data highlights key industries such as IT, BFSI, Manufacturing, and Healthcare as major contributors to this growth, alongside a rising demand for specialised talent in emerging technology roles.
Indian venture capital firms are increasingly hiring more women
Venture capital firms like Blume Ventures, Lightspeed India, and Bertelsmann India Investments are actively increasing female representation across their teams. They believe that diverse perspectives lead to better investment decisions and sustainable business growth, with specific recruitment strategies aimed at levelling the playing field for women in the VC ecosystem.
Women make up 25% of Hindustan Zinc’s workforce
While the metals, mining and heavy engineering industry rarely attracts women, Hindustan Zinc employs India’s first women underground mine managers and has established the country’s first and second all-women underground mine rescue teams.
Policy Changes
Government Pronouncements
2024 was a year of working women-related government pronouncements on several fronts.
The central government asked employers to ensure digital payment of wages and paid maternity leave of 26 weeks to women construction workers. For migrant women workers, it asked that all employers in the highways sector ensure facilities such as latrines and urinals, washing spaces, crèches, and adequate accommodation are made available. There has been little or no media follow up to see if this has begun to be implemented.
In the Interim Budget 2024 Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman announced the expansion of the ‘Lakhpati Didi’ scheme from two crore women to three crore women. It covers self help group members who are to be supported by government and market players to aim for an annual income of Rs 1 lakh a month through entrepreneurial activity.
She also announced in the Interim Budget 2024-25 that that the healthcare cover provided by the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana will now be extended to include all ASHA workers, angawadi workers and helpers.
In May 2024 the Karnataka government mandated 33% reservation for women in all outsourced jobs lasting more than 45 days and employing over 20 people. This applied to all jobs outsourced by various government departments and organisations. This reservation is within the quota stipulated for SC/ST and other backward communities in government outsourced jobs.
The Kerala government announced in June that it would bring new legislation to ensure the welfare of domestic workers. It would be the first such law in the country, the government said. The legislation is meant to ensure minimum wages, fixed working hours, rights of domestic workers, and responsibilities of the employer.
Finally, in January 2024, the Union Ministries of Labour & Employment and Women & Child Development announced a joint survey on increasing women participation in the workforce. Union Minister Smriti Irani said the survey was being undertaken to assess the spread of women employee-friendly practices in the country. No findings have been announced as yet.
In the Courts
SC directs Union to constitute Committee to consider legal framework for benefit, protection & regulation of domestic workers’ rights
“No effective legislative or executive action in furtherance of enacting a statute, which could prove to be a boon to millions of vulnerable domestic workers across the country, has been undertaken as of now. Over and above the absence of any legislation protecting their interests, domestic labourers also find themselves excluded from existing labour laws.”...
Tailpiece
Jobless claims spike, in worrisome sign for the US labour market
First-time applications for unemployment benefits rose much more than expected last week, a likely indication of some “noisy” data, but also a potential worrisome hint that cracks may be forming in America’s long-solid labor market. There were an estimated 242,000 jobless claims filed last week, according to seasonally adjusted data released last month by the Department of Labour. That’s an increase of 22,000 from the prior week’s tally and a figure that landed well above economists’ expectations for 220,000 claims.