JSPES, Vol. 40, No. 4 (Winter 2015)
pp. 413 –445

Occupational Transformation in India: Issues and Challenges

Deepak Kumar Behera

National Institute of Technology, Patna

A “structural transformation of employment” involves shifting from the low productivity-low wage sector to a high productivityhigh wage sector (with reasonable social security). In India, such a process has been a much avowed part of national development. Though it was slow to develop in the first years after Indian independence, it has been underway since 1983, seeming to quicken in India’s post-Reforms period. However, there are several anomalies in this process, such as a lack of industrial employment and the emergence of unorganized employment. This paper examines empirical evidence on these trends in employment, the magnitude of structural transformation, and the statistical determinants of the change. The result is an interesting picture of the unfolding future.