Report on Employment: A Bird's Eye View or An Eyewash?

The first “Annual Report to the People on Employment”, released by the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MoL&E) in July 2010, is one of the five reports1 to the people, promised by the president of India, in her address to the joint session of both houses of Parliament on 4 June 2009. Such a report on the part of the government is surely a welcome initiative as it allows for a stocktaking exercise on employment. It is expected that the report would set a platform for healthy debates on employment and its various dimensions, involving various stakeholders.

The report which claims to provide a “bird’s eye view” of the current employment scenario and also sets out shortand medium-term strategies to enable decent work and employment with particular emphasis on socially disadvantaged groups and women. It highlights some of the issues in the context of skill development and emphasises its promotion among the youth, especially women. The report also calls for rationalisation of labour laws and broadening the ambit of labour reforms.