According to the Economic Survey 2024-25, 58.4% of India’s workforce was self-employed in 2023-24.
This figure represents a significant increase from 52.2% in 2017-18. The Survey interprets this rise as a shift toward entrepreneurship and a growing preference for flexible work arrangements among the Indian population.
Key Highlights from the Report
Decline in Casual Labor: The proportion of casual workers in the workforce dropped from 24.9% in 2017-18 to 19.8% in 2023-24. This suggests that people are moving away from temporary, precarious jobs toward more structured self-employment.
Rise in Women’s Entrepreneurship: The shift is particularly notable among rural women. The share of "own-account workers" or employers among rural women increased from 19% in 2017-18 to 31.2% in 2023-24.
Urban Shift: In urban areas, self-employed individuals (own-account workers/employers) rose from 23.7% to 28.5% over the same period.
Important Questions from Unemployment & Poverty
- What was the overall unemployment rate in India as reported in the $6^{th}$ Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey conducted by the Labour Bureau?
- Which of the following measures the percentage of a country's population living below the poverty line?
- Which statistical indicator is used to measure the depth of poverty by accounting for the extent to which individuals fall below the poverty line?
What was the poverty rate in India in 2019-21, according to the India National Multidimensional Poverty Index, 2023?
- Which state recorded the lowest unemployment rate according to the PLFS 2022-23?
