Melvin Kunjumon

India’s labour market appears to be moving in the right direction: more people are working, labour force participation is up, and unemployment is down. But there’s more to these numbers. A large part of the increase in labour force participation is coming from rural women. And much of that rise is linked to agriculture, self-employment and unpaid work. At the same time, urban women continue to have the lowest labour force participation and the highest unemployment rate among all groups. So while the headline numbers suggest progress, they also raise an important question: what kind of jobs are driving this change?

JustJobs Network’s Study on Shakti Yojane finds the scheme expanding mobility, income security, and agency for Karnataka’s most vulnerable women — at scale.