 "A worker cuts a metal pipe inside a steel furniture production factory in Ahmedabad")
Employment in establishments rose 38 per cent during 2005-2014, much faster than the 2.38 per cent in 1998-2005, the sixth economic census showed.
An establishment is defined as an unit engaged in production and distribution of goods and services. Most of the country's 58.50 million establishments are private, with just 3.6 per cent owned by the government.
A total of 131.29 million people were employed in establishments by 2014, up from 100.9 million in 2005, the census showed. The growth rate of employment was 1.78 per cent in the fourth census (1990-1998). The sixth census was conducted between January 2013 and April 2014. The period 2005-2014 roughly coincides with the United Progressive Alliance government and 1998-2005 with the previous National Democratic Alliance government.
Of those employed in 2014, 67.89 million (51.71 per cent) were in rural areas and 63.40 million (48.29 per cent) in urban areas. In 2005, 52.1 million (51.6 per cent) were employed in rural areas and 48.8 million (48.4 per cent) in urban areas. There were 58.19 million people (44.29 per cent) working in their own account establishments in 2014 against 46.5 million (46.08 per cent) in 2005. As many as 22.88 million people (17.42 per cent) worked in agriculture-based establishments in 2014 against 10.91 million (10.82 per cent) in 2005.
Maharashtra with 14.51 million people (11.05 per cent), Uttar Pradesh with 14.12 million (10.75 per cent), West Bengal with 11.90 million (9.07 per cent), Tamil Nadu with 11.69 million (8.91 per cent) and Gujarat with 9.60 million (7.32 per cent) had a combined share of around half the total employment during the sixth survey period.
The five states during the fifth survey that accounted for half of employment were Andhra Pradesh with 11.20 million people (11.10 per cent), Maharashtra with 11.31 million (11.21 per cent), Tamil Nadu with 10.06 million (9.97 per cent), Uttar Pradesh with 8.15 million (8.07 per cent) and West Bengal with 10.03 million (9.94 per cent). Of the 58.5 million establishments in operation, 34.8 million (59.48 per cent) were in rural areas and 23.7 million (40.52 per cent) in urban areas during the sixth survey period.
