7 months ago
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Unemployment has consistently emerged arsenic 1 of the astir pressing governmental issues successful Bihar. In the past 2 Assembly elections, jobs and livelihood were among the apical concerns. In 2015, post-poll surveys conducted by Lokniti-CSDS showed that ‘unemployment/jobs’ was the astir important contented for 9.1% of voters. By 2020, this percent roseate to astir 21.0%, making it the 2nd astir important contented for voters. With the employment script inactive grim, it is an contented that is apt to predominate elector priorities successful the forthcoming polls.
The concern needs to beryllium looked astatine objectively, for which authoritative statistic are useful. Under the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the latest State-level indicators connected employment are the April-June 2025 quarterly study and the July 2023-June 2024 yearly report, with insights connected Bihar.
Looking beyond the unemployment rate
The quarterly and yearly releases mention Bihar’s unemployment complaint arsenic 5.2% and 3%, respectively, whereas it was 5.4% and 3.2%, respectively, astatine the nationalist level for ages 15 and above. To the casual reader, Bihar’s employment/unemployment representation seems decent to good. However, specified a superficial speechmaking is misleading. To genuinely recognize employment conditions, 1 indispensable recognize 3 interrelated indicators successful the PLFS — Worker Population Ratio (WPR) oregon stock of the colonisation that is employed; Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) oregon the stock of the colonisation either employed oregon actively seeking work, and Unemployment Rate (UR) oregon stock of the labour unit that is unemployed and actively looking for work.
Looking astatine the UR successful isolation conceals the existent picture. The aforesaid quarterly and nationalist releases mention the WPR for Bihar astatine 46.2% and 51.6%, respectively portion the nationalist WPR is 52% and 58.2%, respectively, which shows that the stock of those employed successful the moving property colonisation is overmuch little successful Bihar.
On checking the WPR and LFPR successful the table, Bihar has debased WPR, debased LFPR, and truthful debased UR. A much holistic mentation is grim due to the fact that galore successful Bihar are not moving (low WPR), and galore are not adjacent looking for enactment (low LFPR). Since those not moving are not adjacent looking for work, the unemployment complaint looks deceptively low. This is simply a classical manifestation of the “Discouraged Worker Effect” wherein radical without jobs suffer anticipation of uncovering employment opportunities and wholly retreat from the labour force
A examination of Bihar with similar/comparable States strengthens the inference and shows however atrocious employment conditions are successful Bihar. But it is important to comparison Bihar against States of a akin size and economical background. In this, 2 factors are important successful determining similarity: colonisation and per capita income.
For a meaningful comparison, Bihar was grouped with 9 large, low-income States (population supra 3 crore arsenic successful the Registrar General of India’s 2024 projections, per capita income beneath nationalist mean for 2025-25).
There are 9 States that autumn nether this criteria, which are Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
When Bihar’s indicators are compared with the chosen radical of States, the results are alarming. Bihar ranks the lowest crossed WPR and LFPR. Uttar Pradesh fares marginally amended but inactive hovers adjacent the bottom.
The quarterly PLFS (April-June 2025) shows that among younker (15-29 years), the representation is adjacent bleaker: lone 28 retired of 100 are working. Bihar is astatine the bottommost successful presumption of younker enactment information and younker labour unit participation. For a procreation that should beryllium gathering its future, the doors of employment stay closed.
Since quarterly figures whitethorn beryllium influenced by seasonal fluctuations successful employment, it is important to look astatine the yearly PLFS estimates arsenic well. Quarterly estimates are based connected Current Weekly Status, successful which the notation play utilized to find a person’s employment presumption is conscionable 7 days.
The yearly study besides presents Usual Status: principal+subsidiary status, oregon figures which springiness a much broad and unchangeable representation of employment implicit a agelong term, minimising the distortions caused by short-term variations specified arsenic festivals, unwellness oregon harvest cycles. It besides captures people’s subsidiary work. However, these yearly figures excessively reenforce the aforesaid conclusion. For those aged 15 years and above, Bihar’s WPR stands astatine 51.6% and LFPR astatine 53.2%, which are abysmally low. Only Bihar and Uttar Pradesh autumn beneath 60% successful WPR.
The concern is sedate for women. Bihar’s pistillate WPR is lone 30.1%, oregon retired of 100 women aged 15 years and above, lone 30 are working. The concern is adjacent much distressing for young women. In the 15-29 property group, Bihar’s pistillate enactment information complaint stands astatine 31.2%, portion neighbouring Jharkhand records 49.3%, which is astir 20 percent points higher.
The prime of jobs successful Bihar is arsenic troubling. Only 8.7% of workers are engaged successful regular wage/salaried jobs, the lowest among comparable States. Bihar is the lone State — not conscionable successful this radical but besides successful the full state — with a azygous digit proportion. At the aforesaid time, 23.8% of workers are employed arsenic casual labourers, the highest stock aft Odisha crossed these States. This indicates a deficiency of unafraid and ceremonial employment opportunities.
Such outcomes are successful stark opposition to the claims of the National Democratic Alliance, which often highlights the formalisation of the system arsenic 1 of its achievements. In Bihar, however, the labour marketplace remains overwhelmingly informal, insecure and poorly remunerated.
Migration and the missing numbers
A caveat indispensable beryllium kept successful caput portion interpreting Bihar’s employment indicators. The PLFS counts lone those individuals residing successful the State during the notation period. The employment representation could person been amended had the PLFS been capturing migration arsenic well.
The grim labour marketplace outcomes cannot beryllium separated from Bihar’s governance record. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s authorities has failed to amended literacy and quality superior formation. The aforesaid PLFS (annual) shows Bihar’s literacy complaint astatine lone 73.2% for the 5-plus property group, which is acold beneath the nationalist average. Without important improvements successful acquisition and skills, the State cannot anticipation to make meaningful employment opportunities.
Despite predominant announcements, concern summits and promises of concern revival, small has materialised connected the ground. Mr. Kumar’s governmental manoeuvres and shifting alliances person yielded small tangible benefits for Bihar’s economy. The State has underperformed beryllium it education, occupation creation, industrialisation and formalisation.
The employment situation successful Bihar is not a substance of cognition but 1 of hard evidence. PLFS information consistently uncover that Bihar lags successful each cardinal labour marketplace indicators. Mr. Kumar’s tenure of astir 2 decades arsenic the Chief Minister has failed to code these structural weaknesses. For a State with specified a young population, this represents not conscionable a missed accidental but a imaginable societal situation successful the making.
Bihar urgently needs a broad strategy to revive education, make ceremonial jobs, and stem the outmigration of its workforce. Anything abbreviated of this risks perpetuating the rhythm of poverty, migration, and underdevelopment that has agelong haunted the State.
Jignesh Mevani is simply a Member of the Legislative Assembly successful Gujarat and Convener astatine the Rashtriya Dalit Adhikar Manch
