Vivek's Commentary

T he recent Economic Survey addresses various aspects of the Indian economy, but there are three key employment concerns that warrant further discussion: the level and quality of employment, women's employment, and the impact of AI on labor laws and regulations. First, the reference period chosen for comparing employment improvements is the 2017-18 PLFS round, a time following demonetization, which significantly impacted the labor market. Using this period as a baseline might present an incomplete picture of employment trends. Comparing current statistics with the early 2000s, a period often referred to as the golden decade of the Indian economy, indicates that there is still progress to be made in terms of unemployment, labor force participation rate, and worker-to-population ratio. Source: Author uses NSSO’s Employment-Unemployment and PLFS surveys. Furthermore, while the survey discusses the expansion of the gig economy, driven by digital platforms, increased internet access,