From 22% to 40.3% Women employees in India’s workforce surge pc in 6 yrs

 

 

THE labour data compiled since 2017-18 shows that women’s participation in India’s labour force and the workforce has significantly increased over the years, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. Figures in the latest Annual PLFS Reports show that the proportion of women in the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment, jumped from 22 per cent in 2017-18 to a robust 40.3 per cent in 2023-24. Similarly, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for women of age 15 years and above rose from 23.3 per cent during 2017-18 to 41.7 per cent in 2023-24. The figures indicate a steadily rising trend in the percentage of women employed over the six-year period. “Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government.

 

The Government has taken various initiatives to promote and increase the participation of women in the workforce,” the Minister said in a written reply in the Upper House. The Government has incorporated a number of provisions in the labour laws for equal opportunity and congenial work environment for women workers like paid maternity leave, flexible working hours and equal wages, she said. Government is implementing various schemes to boost female LFPR. To enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes.