IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ijlaec/v67y2024i2d10.1007_s41027-024-00493-6.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

India’s Missing Female Youth Labour Force: Size, Characteristics and Policy Concern

Author

Listed:
  • Rajshree Bedamatta

    (Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati)

  • Mridusmita Bordoloi

    (Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati)

Abstract

In the 21st International Conference of Labour Statisticians (ICLS) convened in October 2023, an amendment to the 19th ICLS resolution of 2013 on labour underutilisation statistics was ratified. It introduces refined measures for assessing labour underutilisation, providing nations with updated guidelines for integrating these measures into their statistical frameworks. Notably, it introduces the concept of the potential labour force, which includes individuals not currently employed, who might be disinclined or unable to seek employment due to various constraints. In our study, we specifically address this segment within the Indian female youth population, referring to them as the "missing labour force". Utilising India's official national datasets—the Employment-Unemployment Survey for 2011–12 and the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) from 2017–18 to 2022–23—we calculate the absolute size of the female youth population comprising the missing (or potential) labour force between 2011–12 and 2022–23. Our analysis delineates the magnitude of this issue, presenting both national and regional dimensions. In 2022–23, approximately 114.6 million females aged 15 to 35, were missing from the labour market, accounting for 48% of the total female youth population in India. Acknowledging the current challenges in the labour market, particularly the high rates of informality and unemployment among female youth, this paper proposes strategic interventions and policy recommendations aimed at integration of the missing female youth labour force into employment sectors.

Suggested Citation

  • Rajshree Bedamatta & Mridusmita Bordoloi, 2024. "India’s Missing Female Youth Labour Force: Size, Characteristics and Policy Concern," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 67(2), pages 465-481, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:67:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s41027-024-00493-6
    DOI: 10.1007/s41027-024-00493-6
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s41027-024-00493-6
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s41027-024-00493-6?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. David Bloom & David Canning & Günther Fink & Jocelyn Finlay, 2009. "Fertility, female labor force participation, and the demographic dividend," Journal of Economic Growth, Springer, vol. 14(2), pages 79-101, June.
    2. Swaminathan, Madhura, 2020. "Time-Use Survey Report 2019: What Do We Learn About Rural Women?," Review of Agrarian Studies, Foundation for Agrarian Studies, vol. 10(2), December.
    3. Alessandra Costagliola, 2021. "Labor Participation and Gender Inequalities in India: Traditional Gender Norms in India and the Decline in the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR)," The Indian Journal of Labour Economics, Springer;The Indian Society of Labour Economics (ISLE), vol. 64(3), pages 531-542, September.
    4. Chayanika Boruah & Debarshi Das, 2022. "Female Labour Force Participation Rates in Assam: Trends, Composition and Determinants," Indian Journal of Human Development, , vol. 16(1), pages 139-157, April.
    5. Stephan Klasen & Francesca Lamanna, 2009. "The Impact of Gender Inequality in Education and Employment on Economic Growth: New Evidence for a Panel of Countries," Feminist Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 15(3), pages 91-132.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Henri Bello Fika, 2024. "Gender Gap in the Paid Economic Activity and Economic Growth in the CEMAC Zone," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 8(7), pages 2329-2349, July.
    2. Isis Gaddis & Stephan Klasen, 2014. "Economic development, structural change, and women’s labor force participation:," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 27(3), pages 639-681, July.
    3. Nguyen Thang Dao & Julio Dávila & Angela Greulich, 2021. "The education gender gap and the demographic transition in developing countries," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 34(2), pages 431-474, April.
    4. Anna Gdakowicz & Malgorzata Guzowska & Marta Hozer-Koćmiel & Leszek Gracz, 2023. "Gender Equality and Economic Growth in BSR and EAP Countries: A Quantitative Approach," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(1), pages 354-378.
    5. Vo, Thang T. & Truong, Thiet-Ha, 2023. "Gender division of household workforce in Vietnam: Role of international trade and fertility," Economic Analysis and Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 1696-1718.
    6. Neetu A. John & Kirsten Stoebenau & Samantha Ritter & Jeffrey Edmeades & Nikola Balvin & UNICEF Office of Research - Innocenti, 2017. "Gender Socialization during Adolescence in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: Conceptualization, influences and outcomes," Papers indipa885, Innocenti Discussion Papers.
    7. Abdulla, Kanat, 2019. "Productivity gains from reallocation of talent in Brazil and India," Journal of Macroeconomics, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    8. Angela Luci & Olivier Thevenon, 2010. "Does economic development drive the fertility rebound in OECD countries?," Working Papers hal-00520948, HAL.
    9. Amin,Mohammad & Islam,Asif Mohammed, 2021. "Exports and Women Workers in Formal Firms," Policy Research Working Paper Series 9527, The World Bank.
    10. Laura Cabeza-García & Esther B. Del Brio & Mery Luz Oscanoa-Victorio, 2018. "Gender Factors and Inclusive Economic Growth: The Silent Revolution," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(1), pages 1-14, January.
    11. Victoria Bateman, 2016. "Women and economic growth: the European marriage pattern in the context of modern day countries," Working Papers 16023, Economic History Society.
    12. Sinha, Aashima & Kumar Sedai, Ashish & Bahadur Rahut, Dil & Sonobe, Tetsushi, 2024. "Well-being costs of unpaid care: Gendered evidence from a contextualized time-use survey in India," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    13. Oladele Atoyebi & Andrew Wister & Barbara Mitchell & Andrew Sixsmith, 2019. "A reformulation and assessment of the Global AgeWatch Wellbeing Index: inclusion of a gender-based domain," Journal of Population Research, Springer, vol. 36(4), pages 365-390, December.
    14. Elissaios Papyrakis & Pak Hung Mo, 2014. "Fractionalization, Polarization, And Economic Growth: Identifying The Transmission Channels," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 52(3), pages 1204-1218, July.
    15. Giscard Assoumou-ella, 2019. "Gender Inequality in Education and per capita GDP: the case of CEMAC Countries," Economics Bulletin, AccessEcon, vol. 39(2), pages 1154-1162.
    16. Pamela E. Ofori & Simplice A. Asongu & Vanessa S. Tchamyou, 2021. "The Synergy between Governance and Economic Integration in Promoting Female Economic Inclusion in Sub-Saharan Africa," Working Papers 21/071, European Xtramile Centre of African Studies (EXCAS).
    17. Erica Perego & Lionel Fontagné & Gianluca Santoni, 2022. "MaGE 3.1: Long-term macroeconomic projections of the World economy," International Economics, CEPII research center, issue 172, pages 168-189.
    18. Smriti Rao & Smita Ramnarain, 2023. "Gender, Social Protection, and Crises of Social Reproduction: Contextualizing NREGA," Review of Radical Political Economics, Union for Radical Political Economics, vol. 55(1), pages 70-92, March.
    19. Jolakoski, Petar & Pal, Arnab & Sandev, Trifce & Kocarev, Ljupco & Metzler, Ralf & Stojkoski, Viktor, 2023. "A first passage under resetting approach to income dynamics," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 175(P1).
    20. Khayria Karoui & Rochdi Feki, 2018. "Does gender inequality reduce growth and development economique? Evidence for a panel from African countries," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 52(5), pages 2055-2061, September.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    Female youth labour force; labour underutilisation; potential labour force; size of labour force;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J01 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - General - - - Labor Economics: General

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ijlaec:v:67:y:2024:i:2:d:10.1007_s41027-024-00493-6. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.