A Study on Labour and Workforce in India

Abstract

Labour and workforce play the most important role in the economic growth and development of a country. Without labour no production, no services, no industry, and no economic activity can sustain. In developing countries like India, labour force is extremely large, diverse and informal in nature. Workforce includes all persons who are engaged in some economic activity either physically or mentally. in India a huge proportion of the workforce works in unorganized sector where job security, stable income, better working conditions and legal protection are very limited. This situation also creates problems such as low wages, labour exploitation, lack of awareness about labour rights, migration problems and skill gap. Due to globalization, privatization and modernization, the labour systems in India have been changing continuously. Automation, digital economy and gig economy are now becoming major occupational platforms. Technology is replacing physical jobs and demanding more skilled workers. 
The labour laws are being simplified combined and modernized by the government through labour codes to protect workers but also promote ease of doing business. Workforce participation especially women workforce participation is relatively low. The unemployment problem especially among youth is rising. Skilled labour shortage exists despite huge working population because of mismatch of education with industry needs. 
Therefore, this study tries to understand the nature of Indian labour force different issues faced by workers, limitations in labour policies, trend changes happening due to technology and globalization and suggests methods to improve the labour conditions so that India can achieve sustainable development, productivity growth and future ready workforce. This research is prepared using only secondary data sources.