Women in the Workforce
Centre working on national policy paper on female labour force participation
The Centre will soon bring out a national policy document on female labour force participation with a focus on providing an enabling atmosphere like a viable care economy structure. An inter-ministerial team from the Ministries of Skill Development, Labour, Rural Development and Women and Child Development is working on it, informed sources told The Hindu.
Belgian sex workers now have access to contracts, benefits and pensions
Sex workers in Belgium have been given the right to health insurance, maternity leave, sick pay and other employment benefits under a new world-first law. The new legislation will allow sex workers to enter into employment contracts and benefit from the same rights and legal protections as any other employee, which also includes pension, unemployment benefits and annual vacation.
In the Courts
'This is how you encourage sportspersons?': SC raps HP govt for denying job to Asian Games medallist
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Thursday slammed the Himachal Pradesh government for denying employment to Pooja Thakur, an Asian Games gold medallist, under the sports quota, asking “this is how you (state govt) encourage sportspersons?” Thakur won the gold medal in kabaddi during the Asian Games held at Incheon, South Korea in 2014. She was also awarded a silver medal in the 2015 National Games.
The Gig Economy
Spurred by Large MNCs, Gig Economy Shaping the Future of Jobs in India: Forum for Processive Gig Workers
The whitepaper was launched at a webinar organized today on ‘Shaping the Future of Work: Empowering India’s Gig Economy’ that brought together experts from academia, research institutions and think tanks talking about the opportunities that the gig economy presents to India’s workforce landscape…The gig economy market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17% to reach a gross volume of $455 billion by 2024. Its contribution to India’s GDP is substantial, with estimates suggesting its potential to create 90 million jobs and add 1.25% to the country’s GDP over time. Gig economy supports sectors such as e-commerce, transportation and delivery services, among others.
Employment News
Services activity slows slightly in Nov, job creation fastest since '05
India's service sector activity dipped slightly in November as new orders and output slowed, but employment hit a 18-year high. Despite rising input costs, firms remain optimistic about the future, driven by strong demand and marketing efforts. Export orders also saw a boost, contributing to the positive outlook.
In 3 yr PLI push, phones, pharma, food dominate new jobs creation
According to data obtained from various ministries by The Indian Express through separate Right to Information (RTI) applications, the PLI schemes have created 5.84 lakh direct jobs till June 2024, which is approximately 36 per cent of the total 16.2 lakh direct jobs targeted to be created over the next five years or so across the 14 sectors. Till March 2024, the PLI outlay for these 14 sectors added up to Rs 1.97 lakh crore, and the scheme attracted as many as 755 successful applicants including micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and private investments of Rs 1.23 lakh crore.
₹4.3 crore-plus top offer perks up IIT job scene
Wall Street trading powerhouse Jane Street has reportedly rolled out the highest annual salary offer of ₹4.3 crore-plus--including base, fixed bonus, relocation--for the Class of 2025 in what's expected to be a significantly better placement season than last year at the Indian Institutes of Technology ( IITs).
AI, Algo trading companies set to steal the show at IIT placements
New Delhi--The Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) are set to witness a scramble for talent beginning Sunday, as some of the world's top artificial intelligence and algo trading firms arrive to snap up their best and brightest. Some of the top offers this year are close to a couple of crores, placement cell executives said, as the older IITs get ready to kick off their annual placement season…According to placement executives at the IITs, some of the top demands are for experts in cognitive science, data scientists, quantitative strategists and developers.
Centre proposes 95% government job reservation for locals in Ladakh
This was decided at the high-powered committee meeting led by Union Minister Nityanand Rai and attended by eight leaders each from the Leh and Kargil regions who represented the Leh Apex Body and Kargil Democratic Alliance.
State Governments Responsible for Deleting MGNREGA Job Cards, Says Union Minister
Union minister of state for rural development Chandra Sekhar Pemmasani said in parliament that the deletions are based on five factors: if there is a fake card, duplicate card, if the person moves from one panchayat to another panchayat or if the person expires, if the person does not want to work anymore or if the area becomes urbanised from a rural area. “These are the criteria for job deletions. And again, this is the responsibility of the state. The central government does not have any role in job deletions,” the minister added.
Data on Central government job quotas missing from DoPT’s latest annual report
The Union government’s Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) has removed data on reservations in Central government jobs and positions from its latest Annual Report (2023-24) released last month. A table — which contains details about all Central government positions across Ministries and Departments, and the number of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe, and Other Backward Classes employees across Groups A, B, C, and D — has been a part of the chapter on reservations in all of past DoPT annual reports. Left-affiliated rights body Adivasi Adhikar Rashtriya Manch flags “deliberate concealment” of data.
Policy Changes
Employees to decide share of salary to be saved as pension
The Union Govt is considering a series of reforms to the pension scheme. “If an employee feels that more savings should go towards monthly pension and less towards the lump sum amount received at the time of retirement, it should be his or her choice,” a senior labour ministry official said. The pension component was introduced by EPFO in November 1995.
Farm News
Crazy traffic jams and vehicular movement snarls in Delhi-NCR: Read why the farmers are protesting again
The farmers have five main demands. First, 10% of the land acquired from farmers should be given to them as plots. Second, compensation under the old land acquisition law should be increased by 64.7%. Third, farmers want compensation to be four times the market rate. Fourth, 20% of plots should be given for land acquired after January 1, 2014. Finally, they want employment and rehabilitation benefits for the children of landless farmers. They also demand proper government orders on the decisions made by a High Power Committee and proper settlement for people living in populated areas.
Why are farmers stressed, Jagdeep Dhankhar asks Minister Shivraj Chouhan on stage
Amid the fresh protests by farmers at the Delhi-Noida border, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Tuesday questioned why there was no dialogue with the protesting farmers and asked Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan what happened to the promises made to them earlier.The Vice President also said that ignoring farmers' issues reflects flawed policymaking and urged the Centre to address their concerns on priority.
More than 160 protesting farmers arrested in Noida; unions urge judiciary to intervene, threaten to widen stir
NOIDA: Police on Tuesday arrested more than 160 protesting farmers, including the president of Bharatiya Kisan Parishad Sukhbir Yadav 'Khalifa', who were holding a sit-in at the 'Dalit Prerna Sthal' in Noida after their march to Delhi on land compensation and other demands was stopped a day earlier.
Reports
Cooperatives can create up to 5.5 crore direct jobs, 5.6 crore self-employment opportunities by 2030: Report
New Delhi: India's cooperative sector has the potential to generate up to 5.5 crore direct jobs and 5.6 crore self-employment opportunities by 2030, according to Primus Partners. Management consultancy firm Primus Partners on Thursday released a report on the cooperative sector.
It highlighted that India's cooperative network, the largest in the world, represents nearly 30 per cent of the 30 lakh cooperative societies globally.
Meagre Wages
Real Wage Decline Hits Economic Growth, FMCG Sector
According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey data, the average monthly earnings of rural Indian workers dropped to Rs 8,842 in 2023-24, down from Rs 9,107 in 2017-18. In urban areas, there was a marginal increase in real wages, rising from Rs 12,847 in 2017-18 to Rs 13,006 in 2023-24. However, the growth in urban wages was sluggish, particularly for non-salaried workers. The decline in real wages has occurred despite a significant surge in corporate profits.
Battling Air Pollution
'Only If We Summon Top Officers, Ball Will Start Rolling' : Supreme Court
The Supreme Court on Monday (December 2) expressed anguish at the fact that the States of the National Capital Region - Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh & Haryana- have failed to pay subsistence allowance to the workers who are out of work due to the ban on construction activities in NCR due to the imposition of GRAP-IV measures to tackle air pollution in NCR.
8k for labourers at construction sites for job loss
New Delhi: Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board has decided to pay a one-time sub subsistence allowance of Rs 8,000 each to over 90,000 registered workers affected by a ban on construction in the capital due to severe air pollution. The decision was taken on Tuesday in the first meeting of the reconstituted construction workers board, chaired by additional chief secretary (finance) Ashish Chandra Verma.
Jobseekers
Desperate for a Better Life, Uttar Pradesh Workers Queue Up for Jobs in Israel
Hundreds of workers from Uttar Pradesh are queuing up at the Industrial Training Institute (ITI) in Lucknow, driven by the promise of lucrative blue-collar jobs in conflict-ridden Israel. The ongoing conflict with Hamas has not deterred them, as they weigh the prospects of earning a monthly salary between Rs 1.37 and Rs 1.92 lakh – significantly higher than what they earn in India.
Livelihoods
Nomads at Crossroads: Climate Change, Poverty Push J&K’s Pastoralists To Brink Of Survival
The Gujjar-Bakerwal and Gadi communities of Jammu and Kashmir, the largest transhumant populations in the region, have long practiced biannual migration. Every year, nearly 700,000 people walk hundreds of kilometers, herding their livestock between alpine pastures in Kashmir and Ladakh starting April-May and reverse migration plains in Jammu in September-October. But the primitive migration is under threat from erratic weather events including cloudbursts, flash floods and rising temperatures.