Delhi, home to about 20 million people, has more residents than Mumbai and Kolkata combined. This means there’s a lot of competition for jobs and not enough opportunities for everyone. The capital of India, Delhi, that is known for rich and diverse history, culture, and cuisine and the monuments.

In the recent news, Delhi is always in the headlines due to the polluted air index and gradually increase in the temperature of the city. But now the rate of unemployment is also increasing rapidly.

As per the 2011 Census, Delhi’s sex ratio was 868, while the national average was 943. By 2036, the city’s sex ratio is expected to be 899, still lower than the projected national average of 952.

About Delhi and the unemployment problem

The city has a lot of industries that require manual labor, like textiles, leather, electronics, and food processing. These industries can be unstable because they’re affected by changes in demand, supply, and investment. They also have to deal with challenges like environmental regulations, labor disputes, and technological changes.

Report in brief

Delhi government published a report “Women_men_in_delhi_2023“about men and women, the statistics about various topics. According to them, the population by 2036 will be 2.6 crores in Delhi, but sex ratio remains below the national average. Further it was seen that unemployment rate was 5.1% for men and 6% for women, higher than the national figures of 4.4% and 3.3% respectively. in the report it was seen that the increase in the unemployment rate (UR).

WOMEN

The report also highlights a shift in women’s employment from part-time to regular jobs. In 2021-22, 33.1% of men were self-employed, 63.3% had regular jobs, and 3.5% did casual work. In contrast, only 17% of women were self-employed, while 83% had regular jobs.

Even if the women came to full time jobs from part time the employment rate is still decreasing. “The number of working women is far less in comparison to men. This could be due to various socio-economic factors,” said a Delhi government official.

OVERALL Synopsis

The report also provides a job profile, showing that a significant number of male workers were employed in the ‘trade, hotel & restaurant’ sector, followed by manufacturing and other services. Most female workers were engaged in ‘other services’, followed by ‘trade, hotel and restaurant’, and manufacturing. The labor force participation rate in the city was 57.5% for men and 9.4% for women, compared to the national rates of 57.3% and 24.8% respectively.

Reasons of unemployment

A lot of people in Delhi don’t have the education or skills they need for higher-paying jobs. They often struggle to get quality education or vocational training because of a lack of resources or infrastructure.

Both men and women in Delhi face challenges in finding suitable jobs due to various factors such as low wages, poor working conditions, lack of social security benefits, and discrimination. These issues need to be addressed to improve the employment scenario in Delhi.

On top of all that, Delhi has issues with urban planning and governance. Problems like congestion, pollution, slums, crime, and corruption make life difficult for its residents and discourage people from investing in the city.

Labor force

The labor force participation rate is like a report card that tells us how many people of working age are actually working or actively looking for work. It’s a bit like taking attendance in a classroom – it gives us a snapshot of who’s present and ready to work.

Now, if we look at India’s report card, we find that in the year 2020-21, about 54.9% of the working-age population was either working or actively seeking work. This was actually higher than the world average of 61.4%. But it was lower than India’s own record of 62.8% in 2019-20, which was before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Interestingly, India’s labor force participation rate has been on a downward trend since 2013-14, when it was 58.7%.  There are several reasons for this:

• More women are pursuing education and employment opportunities.
• Early marriage and childbearing among women are becoming more common.
•  Society’s expectations of women’s roles and responsibilities are changing.
• There’s a lack of proper infrastructure and safety measures for women’s mobility.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on people’s health, livelihoods, and ability to move around.

So, the labor force participation rate is like a health check-up for a country’s economy. It helps us understand what’s working well, what’s not, and where there might be opportunities for improvement.

SECTORS OF EMPLOYMENT

The percentage of reduction in employment in various top sectors were specialized construction activities (43%), Food and beverage service activities (31%), Education (30%), Wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (25%), Services to buildings and landscape activities (25%), Information service activities (22%), Land transport and transport via pipelines (22%),” the report said.

Delhi Employment report from past few years.

Over the past decade, the job scene in Delhi has seen some ups and downs. Here’s a snapshot:

• Between July 2020 and June 2021, about 93.7% of people in Delhi had jobs, while 6.3% were looking for work.
• More people have been joining the workforce in Delhi. The percentage of people aged 15 and above who are working or looking for work (known as the labor force participation rate) rose from 49.8% in 2017-18 to 54.9% in 2020-21.
• Good news for job seekers: the unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above in urban areas fell to 6.8% in the first three months of 2023, down from 8.2% a year earlier.