Incidence of Part Time Workers in the Unorganised Manufacturing Sector in India: 1984-85 to 2015-16

Abstract

The Unorganised Manufacturing Sector (UMS) in India consists of a large number of workers who work in different sub-sectors within it either on ‘full time’ or on ‘part time’ basis. The main purpose of this paper is to study the incidence of ‘part time’ workers, separately for male and female workers, across different subsectors of the UMS in India for three sub-periods, viz., 1984-85 to 1994-95, 1994- 95 to 2005-06 and 2005-06 to 2015-16. For that purpose the unit-level data of National Sample Survey Organisation of various rounds have been used. Broadly, it is found that the incidence of ‘part time’ workers is quite high among the female workers engaged in the Own Account Manufacturing Enterprises, the tiniest sub-sector of the UMS over the years. It is also found that the sector, in general, experienced a significant increase in the incidence of ‘part time’ workers during the sub-period of 1994- 95 to 2005-06, which is characterised by intensifying competition along with implementation of various promotional policy measures taken by the Government. Finally, an econometric exercise is conducted by using the unit-level data files of 2015-16 that identified some determinants of the incidence of ‘part time’ workers in the UMS in India.