Agriculture responsible for almost 60 per cent of the workforce witnessed severe job losses in five-year period ended in 2009-10

Updated on: Thursday, March 07, 2013

As many as 14.08 million jobs were lost in the five-year period ended in 2009-10 in the agriculture sector which engages almost 60 per cent of the workforce in the country.

The job losses in the manufacturing sector during the five year period from 2004-05 to 2009-10 was 5.03 million as per the draft 12th Five-Year Plan approved by the country's apex policy making body National Development Council (NDC) in December last year.

According to the data analysed in document, employment in the agriculture sector in absolute terms was 237.67 million in 1999-2000 which increased to 258.93 million in 2004-05 and then fell to 244.85 million in 2009-10.

Similarly the workforce engaged in manufacturing sector was 44.05 million in 1999-2000, which increased to 55.77 million in 2004-05 and then came down to 50.74 million in 2009-10.

However, the employment in non-manufacturing sector increased from 20.84 million in 1999-2000 to 29.96 million and 48.28 million in 2004-05 and 2009-10 respectively.

The workforce in electricity, gas and water supply also saw a decline from 1.30 million in 2004-05 to 1.25 million in 2009-10. The other sector broadly in services sector saw a surge in employment.

The overall employment in the country has jumped from 396.76 million in 1999-2000 and 457.46 million in 2004-05 and it was 460.22 million in 2009-10.

The document has suggested a host of measures including improving the outreach of the skill development, putting in place institutional mechanism for skill development, skill loans for poor students and others to improve abilities of the country's workforce and their employability.

Agriculture responsible for almost 60 per cent of the workforce witnessed severe job losses in five-year period ended in 2009-10

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