Tribes of Jharkhand in Labour Market in the Colonial Period

The colonial and post-colonial periods mark a watershed in the history of labour force among tribal population in India. Using a case study of Jharkhand, this paper aims at analysing the evolved labour market and examining the structure of labour market along with the conditions of work during colonial period. It also attempts to comprehend whether the evolution of labour market for the tribals can be explained by the theory of 'natural selection' of efficient or incentive-compatible responses of the industry. Two major industries were selected for analysis, viz., tea plantation and coal mining, where, the proportion of Jharkhand tribes employed during the colonial period was high. The paper discusses the demand side of tribals' participation in the labour market. A major factor behind employment of tribals in the industries developed during the colonial period was the demand for cheap unskilled labourers in these industries and which eventually decreased with the development of industries.