Tailpiece
When Bhadohi rolled out the red carpet for new Parliament
The exquisite hand-knotted carpets adorning the floors of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha halls in the new Parliament were hand-knotted by 900 skilled artisans in Uttar Pradesh's Bhadohi for over 10 lakh man hours. They wove 158 carpets bearing seemingly unending motifs inspired by the plumes of the national bird, the peacock, for the Lok Sabha hall. For the new Rajya Sabha hall, 156 carpets bearing a motif inspired by the national flower, the lotus, were woven in shades of kokum red.
Labour in Parliament
Over 5 crore workers removed from MGNREGS rolls last year, Centre tells Lok Sabha
The names of 5.18 crore workers were deleted from the rolls of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 2022-’23, Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh told the Lok Sabha. West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh and Odisha saw the highest number of names deleted. The number of names deleted is 247% higher than that in 2021-’22.
530 districts reported as free of manual scavenging: Centre
Social Justice Ministry says manual scavenging no longer practised in India; Tamil Nadu, Chhattisgarh, Bihar among States with all districts reporting free status. Jammu and Kashmir, Manipur, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, and Jharkhand are among the States and Union Territories that have the highest number of districts yet to declare themselves as manual scavenging free, according to data submitted by the Social Justice Ministry in Rajya Sabha.
Formulate welfare schemes for gig workers immediately, Parliament panel tells labour ministry
A parliamentary panel last week asked the Ministry of Labour and Employment to formulate and implement welfare schemes for gig and app-based workers at the earliest. In a report submitted in March, the Standing Committee on Labour, Textiles and Skill Development had noted that gig and platform workers do not come under the purview of the Employees Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act.
Women in the Workforce
MGNREGS & PMJDY: States show positive correlation for women beneficiaries
Share of women in total bank deposits rises to over 20% in FY23 Suggesting a positive correlation between the roles played by two key government schemes -- the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana (PMJDY) -- in women empowerment. A report by State Bank of India indicated that in states where women participation in the rural job guarantee scheme is high, women beneficiaries of the PMJDY are also high.
'Had No Choice,' Says Manual Scavenger Who Cleaned Dry Toilets For 40 Years
The existence of manual scavengers who continue to pick human faeces from toilets which have no flush, has been denied by the central government, which claims that "all identified and eligible manual scavengers have been provided assistance for their rehabilitation." Santosh’s story tells otherwise.
Women lap up freelance gigs as work-from-home ends
The number of female professionals seeking freelance opportunities has surged at a time when many women are dropping out of the permanent workforce due to lack of remote work opportunities and several companies are insisting on returning to the office. The June quarter saw a 15% increase in the number of women consultants signing up for freelance roles over the preceding one, according to data from Flexing It shared exclusively with ET.
Exporting Workers
In the worst of health: IPO papers of hospital chains show high attrition among nurses
Global Health (Medanta) had, in its red herring prospectus, reported an attrition rate of 51% among nurses for FY22. IPO-bound Yatharth Hospital has reported an attrition of 74% for FY23 in its draft red herring prospectus. Thane-based Jupiter Hospital has reported an attrition of 32% for FY22 in its draft RHP. The attrition rates at hospitals are far higher for nurses compared with those of doctors and other professionals.
Germany is trying to woo skilled workers from India, starting with nurses
Germany is continuing to make efforts to attract skilled workers from India, with a particular focus on nurses. German Labour Minister Hubertus Heil, while on his trip to India for the G20 meet, met trained nurses in Thiruvananthapuram, as part of an international recruitment effort to bring more skilled workers to Germany
Countries Raid Each Others’ Health Systems in Global Battle for Nurses
Shortages of medical-care staff leads to aggressive poaching worldwide, enraging poorer nations. A global shortage of healthcare workers is setting off a bruising worldwide battle for talent, as rich countries raid other nations’ medical systems for staff to care for their aging populations.
Layoffs and Hirings
Biogen to cut 1,000 jobs to save costs as Alzheimer's drug launch gathers pace.
New Delhi: Biogen Inc said on Tuesday it expects to slash about 1,000 jobs, or a about 11 per cent of its workforce, under a fresh cost-cutting program as the company ramps up the launch of a new Alzheimer's disease drug in efforts to return to growth.
Low-paying jobs fare better amid muted employment creation in May.
NEW DELHI: Formal job creation remained muted in May after a stellar rise in April even as less-paying jobs increased, official data released on Tuesday showed. New subscriptions to the Employees’ Provident Fund Scheme declined 1% sequentially in May, while the Employees' State Insurance Corporation, which applies to smaller establishments and less remunerative jobs, showed 11% rise in new subscribers month on month.
Hiring for white collar jobs in India falls 19 pc in July: Naukri Index
Hiring for white collar jobs declined 19 per cent in July compared to the year-ago period as many sectors, including FMCG, retail, insurance and education, witnessed cautious recruitment sentiments, according to a report. According to the Naukri JobSpeak Index released on Tuesday, job postings for white collar hiring in July stood at 2,573, down 8 per cent compared to the previous month, and down 19 per cent compared to July 2022
White-collar hiring rise in July amid positive domestic economic indicators: Xpheno
India’s white-collar job market showed a significant 18% month-on-month upward movement in July, the highest monthly growth in two years, according to data from LinkedIn and top company job boards.
Just 45% of India’s graduate job seekers meet industry needs
Bengaluru: Only 45% of Indian graduates who apply for jobs are employable, with the readiness to meet industry’s fast-changing demands, a new study based on evaluations across 2,500 campuses and 440,000 learners has suggested. Finding candidates with high employability in non-technical skills is easier than finding candidates with high job-readiness for technical skills, said the ‘India's Graduate Skill Index: 2023’ report, published by online talent assessment company Mercer|Mettl and shared exclusively with ET.
Analysis
It Will Take Another 27 Years for India to Have a Bigger Labour Force Than China's
While India’s total demographic cohort would be bigger than China’s by the end of 2023, China will still have a bigger working age population (those aged 15-64) for another two years. It is only in 2025 that there will be more people aged between 15-64 in India (994.7 million) than in China (987.4 million). But not all people in the working age group are in the labour force, which comprises employed individuals and those willing to work but not employed (i.e., unemployed). For that we must look at the labour force participation rate, or LFPR. India’s LFPRs are not only much below the global average, but significantly lower than China’s.
Are Muslims really on par with Hindus in labour market?
In TOI’s July 7 edition Surjit Bhalla argued in these pages – ‘Minority report: Data busts a myth about Indian Muslims’ – that there is no religion-based economic discrimination in India. He used average wage rates of Hindus and Muslims. His methodology did not consider differences in their nature of activities, endowments, location in rural and urban areas, and merged SC and ST workers with those in the two religious groups.
Rajasthan can ill afford urban job scheme
Opposition parties in other states will now promise a similar guaranteed income. Incumbent governments will be tempted to do the same. While supporters will call it a breakthrough in human rights, critics will call it another ‘revdi’, a giveaway that yields few gains. I would say this move can actually do considerable harm.
Mobilising Workers
FWICE raids Ekta's sets
The FWICE (Federation of Western India Cine Employees) members have started a drive after receiving complaints from various units, saying that TV producers make the cast and crew work for over 15 hours a day. Says FWICE President Dharmesh Tiwari, “By labour laws, no shoot should exceed eight hours. But since we are dealing with Indian television, which has crazy demands for output, we can understand if a shoot continues for 12 hours but not more.” Tiwari adds, “In the last two days, we stopped the shoot of a few serials of Ekta Kapoor and J D Majethia. Justice needs to be done.”
UP: Unions Across Unorganised Sector Meet in Lucknow to Form Collective for Joint Struggles
Daily wage earners from rural areas, agricultural labourers, domestic workers and those engaged in construction and mining sectors assembled in Lucknow to attend a general body meeting of the unorganised workers on Tuesday. At least 75 leaders of unorganised sectors from across the state were represented at the meeting. They also want workers registered on the e-Shram portal to be included in the list of beneficiaries in government schemes and implementation of a law with the guarantee of 100 days of work in a year to each household, even in urban areas
Gig workers demand model law, labour rights, social security
In their demand charter submitted to Union Labour Minister Bhupender Yadav, they say about 12 million workers are facing systematic exploitation, wage theft, illegal termination, mental torture and unfair labour practices
Security Workers Organise, Demand Better pay, Working Conditions
The Private Security Guards and Allied Workers Union of India is demanding basic amenities and minimum wages for security workers. First, there are the private security workers employed in malls and private offices, whose conditions are appalling. Some of them receive as little as 5,000 rupees a month, while others get 7,000 rupees a month, with no benefits such as provident fund (PF) or ESI. Then, there are the security workers under various state government departments who earn a monthly salary of 9,500 rupees, which is less than the state’s minimum wage.