Vulnerable jobs

India’s June 2022 labour statistics are hugely disappointing. Employment fell by a massive 13 million from 404 million in May to 390 million. This is the biggest fall in employment during a non-lockdown month. Employment had risen by 8 million during April and May 2022. The fall in May has more than wiped out this gain. In fact, employment in June was the lowest in the last 12 months, i.e. since July 2021.

Labour markets shrunk during June. While about 13 million lost jobs during the month, the count of the unemployed increased by only 3 million. The rest exited