Employment
Deepening our understanding of India’s labour market
Details
Through this vertical, we seek to deepen our understanding of India’s labour market through rigorous, empirically grounded research on employment, job creation, and sustainable livelihoods.
Our work examines important themes related to India’s labour market, including structural transformation, informal employment, women’s workforce participation, and the supply-side and demand-side constraints that shape employment outcomes.
The vertical’s flagship publication, State of Working India, provides an accessible, data-driven account of important themes related to the labour market. Alongside the report, our research takes the form of academic publications, policy reports, and short commentaries that bring evidence and analysis to a wider audience.
A central part of our mandate is to make research on India’s labour market accessible beyond the academic community.
We seek to combine rigorous empirical analysis with clear and engaging communication, contributing to public understanding and debate on the challenges and possibilities facing workers and employment in India.
Recent reports
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Report
State of Working India 2026 : Youth in the Labour Market | Pathways from Learning to Earning
India is nearing the peak of its demographic dividend, with the share of the working-age population expected to begin declining after 2030. On the one hand, higher education in the country has become increasingly democratised with a rapid increase in the number of institutions. Graduate…
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Report
State of Working India 2023: Social Identities and Labour Market Outcomes
The Indian story of economic growth and structural transformation has been one of significant achievements as well as continuing challenges. On the one hand, the economy has grown rapidly since the 1980s, drawing millions of workers out of agriculture. And the proportion of salaried or…
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Report
State of Working India 2021: One year of Covid-19
When the pandemic hit, the Indian economy was already in the most prolonged slowdown in recent decades. On top of this, there were legacy problems such as a slow rate of job creation and lack of political commitment to improving working conditions which trapped a…
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Report
State of Working India 2019
To contribute to the critical matter of India creating just and sustainable employment, the University has set up the Centre for Sustainable Employment (CSE), which conducts and supports research in areas of work, labour, and employment. The University is attempting to provide empirically grounded, analytical…
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Report in English, Hindi
State of Working India 2018
India is one of the world’s fastest growing economies. To be a stable and prosperous democracy, this growth must be accompanied by the creation of meaningful, secure and remunerative employment. Realising this goal requires a grounded and comprehensive overview of the state of labour markets,…
- Basole, A., Shrivastava, A., Kulkarni, J., & Arora, A. (2026). Regressive income shocks during India’s Covid-19 lockdown: Evidence from two surveys. Applied Economics Letters, 1 – 5. https://doi.org/10.1080/13504851.2026.2685216
- Abraham, R., Anjum, N., Lahoti, R., & Swaminathan, H. (2026). What did they say? Respondent identity, question framing and the measurement of employment. The World Bank Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.1093/wber/lhag001
- Abraham, R., & Kesar, S. (2025). Trajectories of labour market transitions in the Indian economy. World Development, 195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2025.107029
- Goel, D., & Abraham, R. (2025). Improving survey quality using paradata: Lessons from a field survey in India. Development Policy Review, 43(1). https://doi.org/10.1111/dpr.12813
Chapter in Edited Book:
- Anjum, N., Abraham, R., Lahoti, H., Swaminathan. (2025). Measuring Women’s Employment: Challenges and the Way Forward. In: Yamini Atmavilas (Ed.), State of Livelihoods in India Report, 2024 . Access Development Services. https://livelihoods-india.org/soil-report/
- Priya, K., & Abraham, R. (2026, August 7). The failed promise of higher education. The India Forum.
- Halder, T., Basole, A., & Shravan, M. K. (2026, July 20). IIT or ITI: India’s divided skilling ecosystem. Ideas for India.
- Choragudi, K. P. (2026, May 20). How worker cooperatives enhance women’s agency. Ideas for India.
- Arafath, Y., & Abraham, R. (2026, April 16). Young men in labour market: Unraveling the recent trends. Hindustan Times.
- Shanigarapu, B., & Abraham, R. (2026, April 13). Youth in labour market: Changing employment trends. Hindustan Times.
- Basole, A., Jha, M., & Shanigarapu, B. (2026, March 30). Young graduates and the search for employment. Hindustan Times.
- Choragudi, K. P. (2026, March 13). Economic Survey promises, impact of new labour codes. The Hindu.
- Basole, A. (2026, April 18). India’s manufacturing story can’t be built on cheap labour alone. Times of India Voices.
- Swaminathan, H., Abraham, R., & Lahoti, R. (2025, December 5). Marriage and motherhood: Rethinking women’s employment in rural contexts. Ideas for India.
- Abraham, R., & Kesar, S. (2025, July 28). India’s labour market: Stable outside, churn within, Part 1. Hindustan Times.
- Basole, A. (2025, February 2). Budget emphasis on urban governance could benefit workers living in small towns. Mint.
- Basole, A. (2025, January 27). Budget needs to focus on local infrastructure to enable creation of jobs. Moneycontrol.