Skills study: Over next 5 years, just 1 in 5 entrants to labour force a woman

News:According to a study conducted by the National Skills Development Corporation (NSDC),just one out of five persons in the 15-30 years age bracket entering the labour force is expected to be a female in the five years ending 2023.

Facts:

About the study:

• The NSDC has projected trends in the country’s labour market potential during 2019-23 based on (a)Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2017-18 (b)Crude Death Rates(CDR) at gender and region (rural/urban) level and (c)Employment-Unemployment Survey(EUS),2011-12 (68th round).

Key takeaways from the study:

• The study has said that around 7 crore additional individuals in the working-age(15-59 years) are expected to enter the labour force by 2023 of which 84.3% or 5.9 crore will be in the age group 15-30 years.
• However,only one out of five persons(15-30 years age) entering the labour force is expected to be a female by 2023.
• The study has shown that female labour force participation rate has declined. Further,compared with other Asian peers,India is far behind in the participation of women.
• The study has also said that female candidates in the age group of 15-19 years may not be actively in the labour force instead choosing to opt for higher education.
• The study has also found that 52% of the male entrants and 42.6% of the female entrants in the 15-30 age bracket are projected to be in the age group of 15-20 years.

Study on state-wise data:

• Only six states namely Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are expected to account for 50% (about 3 crore) of the new youth entrants (15-30 years) during 2019-23.
• Nearly 30% of the youth entrants (15-30 years) are expected to be from three states of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh in each of the years during 2019-23.
• Among female youth(15-30 years),the highest numbers of new entrants (28.5 lakh) are expected in the years 2021 and 2023 each while among male youth,the highest number of new entrants (1 crore) is expected in 2023.

Additional information:

About NSDC:

• National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) is a not-for-profit public limited company incorporated in 2008 under section 25 of the Companies Act, 1956 
• The Government of India through Ministry of Skills Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) holds 49% of the share capital of NSDC while the private sector has the balance 51% of the share capital.
• The overall objective of NSDC is to create training capacity in the country, fund vocational training initiatives and create a market ecosystem for skill development.

About Crude Death rates:

• The Crude Death Rate(CDR) indicates the number of deaths occurring during the year per 1,000 population estimated at mid-year.

About Periodic labour force survey:

• The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is an initiative aimed at generating estimates of various labour force indicators.
• The National Sample Survey Office(NSSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation conducts the survey.
• The survey seeks to generate quarterly reports on Labour Force Indicators such as Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR),Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate (UR) in urban areas and an annual report for rural India.
• The periodic labour force survey had replaced the Annual Employment Unemployment Survey in 2017 on the recommendations of the Task Force on Employment chaired by Dr. Arvind Panagariya,then Vice-Chairman of NITI Aayog.