Workplace effect on intergenerational occupational transition of labourer: evidence from tea plantations of Assam, India

Present study aims at understanding if intergenerational occupational transition of tea labourer has any association with the workplace using primary data collected from 612 labour households in major tea growing regions of Assam. Empirical analysis suggests that the occupational transition of adult children was low among the tea labourers engaged in proprietorship (PROP) plantation relative to public limited company (PLC). Limited upward occupational transition is visible in both ownership structures of plantations. There is significant role of gender, education, skill, family size, father's occupation, income, dependency ratio, ownership structures of plantation, and geographical location in shaping occupational mobility of tea labourer. Disproportion of benefit in kind, welfare provision across different ownership structure of tea plantations is visible in the study area. Hence, there is a need for ensuring uniformity in statutory benefits and minimum wages among tea labourers through proper coordination between union and state government with the tea board.