"Quality employment generation needed for reaping demographic dividend," says labour secretary Sunita Dawra

New Delhi [India], May 18 : Sunita Dawra, Secretary of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, emphasised the importance of quality employment generation in India to capitalise on the demographic dividend.
She was speaking at the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) plenary session in New Delhi on Saturday.
In the plenary session titled "The Future of Competitive India," Dawra stated, "We have heard a lot about manufacturing, investment, the challenges ahead, and the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. Inclusive growth and prosperity are key components. As manufacturing, services, trade, logistics, and infrastructure expand and global value chains become anchored in the country, it is crucial to generate adequate quality employment to reap the demographic dividend."
Referring to the Viksit Bharat 2027 targets, she added, "Adequate quality employment generation is fundamental to achieving the vision for Viksit Bharat."
Dawra outlined the requirements for quality employment generation, including healthy and safe working conditions, universal social security, higher female labour force participation, minimum wages for all, and boosting domestic consumption and investment. She emphasised the need to meet international standards for quality employment and working conditions to avoid non-tariff barriers.
She stressed the importance of achieving higher productivity to attract investments, which would boost production and exports, catalyse economic growth, and lead to further employment generation, creating a self-sustaining virtuous cycle.
Dawra highlighted recent labour law reforms, noting that 29 labour-related acts have been consolidated into four new codes. These reforms aim to enhance ease of doing business, simplify compliance, decriminalise infractions, resolve disputes seamlessly, promote labor market flexibility, enhance female participation, leverage technology, and meet the skill needs of the economy both nationally and internationally.
"So far, more than 1,200 sections have been rationalised to less than 500, and about 1,400 rules have been streamlined to about 400," she said.
The labour secretary emphasised common provisions across all four codes that promote ease of business and decriminalisation. "The labour codes now have standardised definitions. There is a provision for single registration for establishments, inspectors act as facilitators, inspections are web-based, and imprisonments are largely replaced by fines," she explained.
Special measures have been taken to facilitate female workforce participation. "Significant encouragement is being given to women in the labour force, increasing the worker participation ratio. The codes will ensure women's participation in labour and decision-making bodies, with one-third of advisory body members being women," Dawra noted.
As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) done annually by Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MOSPI), the worker population ratio has increased from about 27 per cent in the total population in 2017-18 to 56 per cent in 2022-23, a substantial increase of more than 9 per cent, she added.