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Unemployment Spells in India: Patterns, Trends, and Covariates

Author

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  • Karthikeya Naraparaju

    (Indian Institute of Management Indore)

Abstract

The literature on unemployment in India has not given adequate attention to the analysis of unemployment spells. This paper attempts to fill this gap by focusing on the trends in the incidence and distribution of unemployment spells from 1993 to 2012. It was found that shorter unemployment spells of up to two months are more prevalent in rural areas, primarily for casual labour who experience a break in their employment due to lack of work. On the other hand, longer spells of more than 6 months are predominant in urban areas, experienced predominantly by young, well-educated population, who do not come from the poorest households, and do not have any previous job market experience. Further, the incidence as well as the contribution to longer durations of unemployment is higher in the eastern region and females are more likely than males to experience them. The author discusses the findings, their policy implications, and suggests ways to improve upon the available data so that it can help in developing a better understanding of the factors contributing to unemployment.

Suggested Citation

  • Karthikeya Naraparaju, 2017. "Unemployment Spells in India: Patterns, Trends, and Covariates," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 60(4), pages 625-646, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:60:y:2017:i:4:d:10.1007_s41027-018-0119-2
    DOI: 10.1007/s41027-018-0119-2
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    Cited by:

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    2. Swati Dhingra & Fjolla Kondirolli, 2022. "Unemployment and labour market recovery policies," Indian Economic Review, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 223-235, June.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Unemployment; Unemployment spells; India; Developing countries;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J60 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - General
    • J64 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Unemployment: Models, Duration, Incidence, and Job Search
    • J68 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Mobility, Unemployment, Vacancies, and Immigrant Workers - - - Public Policy

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