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2014-2024 has seen jobloss growth: Congress questions govt’s job creation claims
The reference was being made to the (RBI) KLEMS data report released in July, which said around 80 crore new jobs were created in the last three-four years
The Congress on Monday questioned the government’s claims on job creation data, adding that no spin doctoring can take away from the fact that 2014-2024 has seen “jobloss” growth.
The reference was being made to the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) KLEMS (acronym for capital, labour, energy, materials, and services) data report released in July, which said around 80 crore new jobs were created in the last three-four years.
Even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had cited the same report dismissing opposition’s claims of widespread unemployment.
Quoting the content of the report, Congress claimed that the current ruling dispensation equated the unpaid household to the work done by women as “employment” which is not a new job creation.
“A large part of the claimed employment growth is recording unpaid household work done by women as employment. It is not new job creation”, he said.
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“The ‘80 million new jobs’ headline also eludes discussion on the quality of jobs. Amidst the poor economic climate, the share of salaried, formal employment in the labour market has decreased. Workers are moving to low-productivity informal and agricultural jobs, which KLEMS is capturing as jobs created,” Congress’ communications head Jairam Ramesh said in a statement.
He added that the KLEMS data shows an increase in employment during the COVID-19 pandemic years, when large sections of the economy fully shut down.
“While crucial sectors like education saw 12 lakh fewer jobs in 2020-2021, a whopping 1.8 crore “jobs” were “created” in agriculture”, he said.
Calling poorly paid job as an economic travesty, the senior Congress leader argued that “factory workers, teachers, miners who returned home during COVID-19 and had to return to farming and agricultural labour are registered as a “job created” in agriculture”.
“This shift to low-productivity, poorly paid jobs is an economic travesty, which the government is touting as an achievement”, he said.
Questioning the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) data, a key parameter of creation of jobs in the formal sector, Congress said that while “the government cited the addition of 6.2 crore net subscribers in the EPFO database to show record employment growth, EPFO only tracks the organised sector or less than 10% of total employment.’’
The Congress pointed out the Supreme Court’s 2020 verdict asking EPFO to include contractual workers at any establishment which employs more than 20 people and as a result.
“A substantial number of workers who were already employed are now being reflected in EPFO data – these are not new jobs created”, Ramesh said.
Continuing his criticism of the government’s alleged spin doctoring, Ramesh said that the country’s unemployment rate remains high.
“Whatever statistical jugglery they engage in, the truth remains: India’s unemployment rate today is the highest it has been in 45 years, with the unemployment rate for graduate youth at 42%”, he said.
A response from the government is awaited and the copy will be updated whenever it is received.
