Data from the latest Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Reports indicate that there has been a significant increase in the participation of women in the labour force over the years.
In 2017-18, the estimated worker population rate or WPR (which indicates employment) was 22 per cent, while the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for women of age 15 years and above was 23.3 per cent. In 2018-19 these figures improved marginally to 23.3 per cent and 24.5 per cent, respectively. By 2023-24, the figures have improved markedly, with WPR reaching 40.3 per cent and LFPR reaching 41.7 per cent.
Clearly, the Indian government’s efforts to improve employability are bearing fruit. The Government has been trying to introduce initiatives/measures to promote and increase the participation of women in the workforce. It has incorporated several provisions in the labour laws for equal opportunity and congenial work environment for women employees, including paid maternity leave, flexible working hours, equal wages, and so on.
Various government schemes—such as Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Stand-UP India Scheme, Startup India, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Production Linked Incentive—have helped improve the female LFPR as well as the overall LFPR.
Additionally, the Indian government is offering training to women through a network of Women Industrial Training Institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes, to make them more employable.
In the Budget 2024-25, a package of five schemes and initiatives was announced to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a five-year period with a central outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crore. Apart from other policy interventions, the budget mentioned the establishment of working women hostels in collaboration with industry, as well as creches, to make it convenient for women to participate in the workforce. These details were presented in the Rajya Sabha by Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment Shobha Karandlaje.
