Saba Rajkotia
4th March 2020
An article published by Niharika Sharma of the World Economic Forum shows that women are being disproportionately impacted by India’s unemployment crisis. Citing research by Bain & Company and Google, the article demonstrates that the labour force participation rate (LFPR) for women in India has been decreasing in recent years – specifically in the 15-24 years age group.
While the total unemployment rate in India is 7%, amongst women this number increases to 18%. Immediate action is needed to stop the economic and employment gap between men and women from widening further. The report suggests that around 400 million jobs will be needed for women in the coming years, based on current trends.
Female workers are also dealing with job insecurity to a much greater extent than men are. “Women hold most of the administrative and data-processing roles that artificial intelligence and other technologies threaten to usurp…as routine jobs become automated, the pressure on women will intensify and they will experience higher unemployment rates,” states the Bain & Company-Google report.
While India must do what it can to create jobs for its women, there also needs to be focus on encouraging female entrepreneurialism as a long-term solution. “By creating jobs, fuelling innovation and furthering investment in health and education, entrepreneurship among women could transform India’s economy and society”, states the report.
