Indian Journal of Industrial Relations: Economics & Social Dev.

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Wages of Unorganized Sector Workers in India: What NSS Survey Data Can Tell Us?


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1 Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Gen.Vaidya Marg, Goregaon (E), Mumbai
     

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Had the recent high growth of the Indian economy benefitted the unorganized workers excluding the self employed? The present study attempts to examine this question using results from the two NSS surveys separated by 5 years (2004-05 and 2009-10).The paper examines the growth of real wages of wage-labor in the unorganized sector in India excluding agriculture. Two standard worker categories are studied here, namely, regular wage workers and casual workers. The real wage change overtime in the case of male and female workers within sectors is the subject of the analysis. The results are rather mixed but encouraging. Workers in urban areas have significantly gained but not necessarily in rural areas. It shows that high economic growth could benefit both regular and casual workers.
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  • Wages of Unorganized Sector Workers in India: What NSS Survey Data Can Tell Us?

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Authors

K. V. Ramaswamy
Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research (IGIDR), Gen.Vaidya Marg, Goregaon (E), Mumbai

Abstract


Had the recent high growth of the Indian economy benefitted the unorganized workers excluding the self employed? The present study attempts to examine this question using results from the two NSS surveys separated by 5 years (2004-05 and 2009-10).The paper examines the growth of real wages of wage-labor in the unorganized sector in India excluding agriculture. Two standard worker categories are studied here, namely, regular wage workers and casual workers. The real wage change overtime in the case of male and female workers within sectors is the subject of the analysis. The results are rather mixed but encouraging. Workers in urban areas have significantly gained but not necessarily in rural areas. It shows that high economic growth could benefit both regular and casual workers.

References