Key priorities for employment policy

Measures that generate income for the poor are more important than tweaking the applicability threshold for labour laws

Most Indians can benefit from growth only if they get a job with decent work conditions and reasonable pay. Several decades of relatively high growth have failed to generate enough quality employment for the majority of Indians. The consequences of this failure show up in the rising inequality of income; the social unrest and vigilante violence fuelled by unemployed youngsters; a growing politicisation of the tension between locals and migrants from other parts of India; stagnation; and a decline in the living conditions of millions trapped in low-quality employment.  

India desperately needs an approach to employment that 

• Strengthens the links between growth