Employment and income have always been critical issues in the Indian economy. Jobs remain a significant political issue and governments failing to create enough of them can face electoral challenges. In this regard, the recent release of the KLEMS [capital (K), labour (L), energy (E), material (M) and services (S)] database by the Reserve Bank of India has added to the debate. While the provisional estimates indicate a 6 per cent employment growth rate in 2023-24, the highest in the database, which goes back to 1980-81, a deeper industry-wise analysis for labour-intensive sectors raises some concerns. Agriculture