Is Public Employment Moving In The Right Direction?

Labour force surveys show an increase in public employment. However, this increase is unlikely to have taken place among formal jobs, which promise decent working conditions

In a previous edition of Macroscan (see BusinessLine, July 30) we considered trends in Central government employment, and showed how the number of people employed by the Central government stagnated between 2006 and 2014 while the number employed by Central public sector enterprises declined. Furthermore, the number of vacancies in public employment increased sharply over this period, amounting to more than one-fifth of the number employed.

However, the labour force surveys provide a slightly different picture. These surveys capture all forms of employment at all levels of government (Central, State, local bodies as well as public enterprises), including not just those that the government officially recognises as employees but also all scheme workers who self-describe as working for the government even when the official registers do not include them and they do not receive many of the benefits normally accrued to public employees.

For example, the labour force surveys include “voluntary” workers such as Anganwadi workers and helpers and ASHAs who do not receive even minimum wages for their work, but nonetheless see themselves as being regularly employed by the government.

Employment pattern