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Discusses information technology (IT) labor issues in the U.S. and elsewhere, including demand for IT workers, skills and education needed to pursue IT jobs, and methods to increase supply of IT workers. Examines legislative attempts to increase supply, including use of tax incentives. Discusses IT needs and training programs in six other countries. (Contains 26 references.) (KSB)

Recognizing that comprehensive labor force information is vital to the development of employment policy, the International Labour Organisation instituted a series of experiments to test the use of key informants at local levels to collect the information. The success of the approach requires international cooperation in providing technical assistance. (SK)

In recent years, rapidly changing disease profile patterns, shortage & uneven utilization of healthcare professionals contributed massive burden on the Indian healthcare system, which resulted in varying, fragmented, inconsistent healthcare delivery to the patients and poor patient management. Patients often face and experience many challenges like lack of accessibility, poor patient-healthcare provider relationships, and inadequate quality of care, resulting in unnecessary economic burden in managing their health conditions. Thus Indian healthcare reform is essential in enhancing its capacity to fulfill patients' health needs that can be addressed by focusing on key sustainable strategies and initiatives meant for enhancing coordination of care, expanding services accessibility, redeveloping healthcare infrastructure, implementing workforce innovation and strong governance with the incorporation of core principles such as patient-centeredness, integrated care and collaborative care approaches. The clinical and ambulatory pharmacy practice are fragment of the healthcare delivery which delivers pharmaceutical care and fulfils the needs of patients across healthcare settings. This paper focuses on the present & future perspectives of ambulatory pharmacy practice in India and the factors to be considered for implementing it in patient care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to the growing population and advancing economy, medical waste accumulation has come to the attention of all facets of society. Although the issue of medical waste management planning has been addressed in developed nations, it still exists in several developing nations. This paper examines the effects of barriers under the Organization action, work handling, and Human Resource Practices section on the healthcare waste management (HCWM) sector in a developing country India. In this study, three hypotheses were constructed and tested using Structural equation modeling. The questionnaire was distributed among 200 health professionals to collect their responses. Ninety-seven responses were received, and 15 barriers were identified affecting the healthcare waste management sector. The results show that all three barriers (i.e., Organizational, Waste handling, and Human resources) hinder the Healthcare waste management sector. Organizational Barriers are the most significant among other barriers. So, the hospitals have to take appropriate actions to overcome these barriers. This paper helps to complete the research gap by providing the different characteristics of barriers. The development of a model for the analysis of barriers influencing HCWM is the Author's original contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural production in developing countries is heavily rainfall dependent. Any unexpected variation in rainfall can affect the welfare of households. Using unit record data from India, this paper shows that households can insure against agricultural productivity (rainfall) shocks. Evidence suggests that they do so by varying the time allocation of individual members to different activities, particularly to regular wage work and human capital accumulation. There is a gender‐differentiated aspect to this response. Rainfall shocks adversely affect women's human capital accumulation. While there is no evidence that households use participation in NREGS to insure against rainfall shocks, the availability of NREGS helps reduce the impact of rainfall shocks on human capital accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The impact of ill-health on labour force participation is a well-recognized concern in both developed and developing countries. However, previous studies have often overlooked age differentials in this relationship, assuming uniform effects across age groups. This study aims to fill this gap by examining how ill-health affects labour outcomes among different age segments in India. Utilizing data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India (LASI) Wave 1, which covers over 72,000 individuals aged 45 and above, this research investigates the linkage between health and labour force outcomes. The labour outcomes in this study includes labour force participation, labour earnings and hours worked. Present study used instrumental variable approach to mitigate endogeneity issues and establish causal relationships between health and labour outcomes. The Heckman selection model is utilized to address selection bias in analysing wage and hours worked. The study reveals several key findings. Firstly, ill-health consistently leads to a decline in labour force participation among both middle-aged (28 percent) and elderly (36 percent) individuals in India. This underscores the pervasive impact of health on workforce engagement, particularly in a context with limited social security measures. Secondly, the research identifies significant variations in the effects of ill-health on wages and hours worked based on age. Among elderly individuals, there is a pronounced reduction in both wages and hours worked due to ill-health. However, this effect is less pronounced among middle-aged adults. Furthermore, socioeconomic factors play a pivotal role in shaping how ill-health influences labour outcomes among different age groups. This study underscores the importance of considering age differentials in the impact of ill-health on labour outcomes, offering valuable insights for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers seeking to address this critical issue in India's dynamic socio-economic landscape. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractChild labor has majorly been analyzed through the socio-economic lens, because the deterministic cultural factors have not received much attention. This study attempts to understand the cultural influences on children’s involvement in traditional economic activities. Applying a cultural sociological approach, an intrinsic case study was conducted on the nomadic Nat tribe in India that generates its livelihood through children’s involvement in acrobatics. Findings suggest that the cultural existence of the tribe significantly determines children’s involvement in socio-economic exchanges. Policy attempts toward child upliftment must consider the cultural aspects essential for the tribe’s survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: India has been on the pathway of improvement concerning healthcare and health outcomes of its population. However, India must overcome its unique challenges and cover a long journey ahead. This mandates a need for a high-quality, contemporary and community-based health system that promises consistent and quality healthcare, is trusted and valued by all its citizens, considers the changing population needs and should be affordable and accessible. Design/methodology/approach: The study examines various dimensions and elements associated with the integrated healthcare system in India and uses input, process and output structural measures. Findings: The present paper proposes an integrated, comprehensive healthcare system in India that endorses participation from diverse stakeholders such as the government, organizations, the community and individuals who can contribute uniquely. It also focuses on defined and measurable output that can make health a topic of social movement or "Jan Andolan" and create a sustainable and integrated care system. Originality/value: The study is unique as it focuses on the role of stakeholders in health care. The research emphasized the involvement of the government, community, people and organizations in developing an integrated healthcare ecosystem that includes modern technology, skilled employees, enough finance, governance, efficient delivery platforms and top-tier infrastructure. The model's output is focused on healthcare that is inexpensive, accessible, available, accountable and user-centered. This would gradually improve everyone's health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Analyzing multiple data sources from a global information technology (IT) consulting multinational enterprise (MNE), this research unpacks the configuration of a digitalized HR ecosystem of artificial intelligence(AI)‐assisted human resource management (HRM) applications and HR platforms. This study develops a novel theoretical framework mapping the nature and purpose of a digitalized AI‐assisted HR ecosystem for delivering exceptional employee experience (EX), an antecedent to employee engagement (EE). Employing the theoretical lenses of EX, EE, AI‐mediated social exchange, and engagement platforms, this study's overarching aim of this article is to establish how AI‐assisted HRM fits into an organization's ecosystem and, second, how it impacts EX and EE. Our findings show that AI‐assisted applications for HRM enhance EX and, thus, EE. We also see increases in employee productivity and HR function's effectiveness. Implications for research and practice are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare conflicts are complicated and often dysfunctional in nature. The Indian healthcare system, with its thinning workforce, finds it increasingly difficult to meet the demands and expectations of its healthcare service recipients. Healthcare service providers like physicians, nurses, technical and administrative personnel work in a dynamic and stressful environment with resource and manpower limitations. Healthcare service recipients like patients and their families often face challenges regarding access to care, associated costs, time issues and other situational dynamics. These underlying situations often result in different types of conflicts in the workplace. The purpose of this exploratory study is to understand the factors that serve as primers for healthcare conflicts in the Indian scenario. Data were collected from hospital feedback forms for patients/patient families. The top 10 threads indicating the patient satisfaction factors and conflicting grounds were identified through content analysis, and that formed the basis of the semi-structured questionnaire schedules. Fifty semi-structured interviews were done with healthcare service recipients and healthcare service providers (25 in each set) in private clinical establishments of Kolkata, West Bengal. Four main themes and nine subthemes were identified that illustrated the grounds for healthcare conflicts in Indian settings. The identification of the causes of dissatisfaction and understanding their relationship with healthcare conflicts will go a long way in conflict management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government of India has provided Indian Public Health Standards to improve rural health care services and health status, but still rural laboratory is a cause of concern. This study is performed to understand the laboratory facility-level gaps that need to be addressed to improve the public primary health centres (PHCs) present in rural areas. The laboratory assessment is performed for governance, financing, resources and services, and results are validated with the PHC laboratory performance. The current assessment shows critical gaps in the facilities regarding governance, services, resources and financing required for the laboratory services at the rural primary health care level. Governance and services need to be strengthened the most, followed with sustained availability of resources and financing. Poor health status in rural areas necessitates public health response based on health systems. Therefore, health system preparedness in the form of laboratory services is essential in primary health care facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While India's low female labor force participation in urban areas is often attributed to its demographic and labor market characteristics, education, and cultural aspects, attention is not paid to the labor market opportunity structure limiting women's labor market participation. We examine the role of transport infrastructure in gendergap in labor force participation and its variations by gender-norms across communities. Using India Human Development Survey and city-level data on transport infrastructure, the causal effects of differential employment status of women and men are related to size and quality of transport in twelve Indian cities. Interaction effects are explored to understand varying impacts of transport on employment by gender-context in communities. We find that an improvement in the size and quality of transportation infrastructure improves women's labor market participation more than that of men. In gender egalitarian communities, stronger positive effect of transport on female labor and reduction of gender gap in employment. Along with generation of new job opportunities suitable for women, it is important to encourage a gender-friendly institutional and social fabric to allow women to connect to new jobs. Using a novel data, the paper highlights the importance of ostensibly gender-neutral development policies for shaping gender inequalities in outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hearing is crucial for a child's development, influencing speech, cognition, and emotional well-being. Early detection of hearing disorders is vital, yet India faces challenges in implementing effective newborn hearing screening (NBHS) programs. This research explores the perspectives of audiologists, focusing on the major and minor challenges faced and current protocols followed across diverse setups in India. Method: A two-phase study involved questionnaire development and data collection from 116 audiologists nationwide. The survey addressed demographics, current practices, challenges faced, and opinions on NBHS improvements. Results: Findings revealed disparities in screening protocols, with 42 variations reported. Challenges included ambient noise control, communication gaps, and lack of interdisciplinary support. Audiologists emphasized the need for sensitizing healthcare professionals, free screening, and increased manpower to enhance NBHS efficacy. Conclusion: The study aligns with global challenges in NBHS program implementation. Rural areas face a shortage of audiologists, emphasizing the necessity to train community health workers. The varied screening protocols and delays in screening timeframe underscore the need for standardized guidelines and increased funding. Audiologists play a pivotal role in NBHS success. To overcome challenges, standardizing protocols, sensitizing healthcare professionals, and promoting community-based screening are crucial. The study emphasizes proactive measures among audiologists, continual research, and collaboration to enhance evidence-based practices and policy improvements in newborn hearing screening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Government of India organized over ten thousand student labor camps for the purposes of village development between 1954 and 1965. This camp movement functions as a key to the novel idealizations of youth in the postcolonial world and the shifting development agendas of independent India. The image of the toiling and vigorous camper committed to serving the newly created nation-state came to be constructed as India's model citizen-to-be, and this figure embodies the emergent forms of postcolonial nationalist politics and ideologies of the 1950s and 1960s. This youthful labor force was depicted in the developmentalist imagination of India as literally building and metaphorically embodying the nation-state and its ideologies of physical fitness, secularism, anti-casteism, and national discipline. This article will argue that camp life negotiated a hierarchy of citizens that made the educated youth the agent of development and the villager the object of development. The running of these camps by volunteer movements such as the National Cadet Corps, the Bharat Scouts and Guides, and the Bharat Sevak Samaj brings to light how the developmental apparatus in India worked or did not work in practice for the students and the poorer classes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been considerable interest in studying the effect of female labor market outcomes on intrahousehold bargaining. This paper examines the effects of local labor market opportunities in India on a variety of female bargaining characteristics, including domestic violence and intrahousehold discussion of important issues. Specifically, I utilize district-level data on employment in various occupations to calculate an employment shift-share index that proxies gender-specific labor demand. I find that improvements in labor market conditions for women lead to a decrease in perceptions of domestic violence, whereas improvements in predicted demand for male employment have little or negative effects on women's household bargaining power. When disaggregated by indicators of initial bargaining power, women that have lower levels of initial bargaining power either see no effect on bargaining or experience a backlash effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We compare the economic and environmental performances of India and China over the past decade against the Euro Area, Japan, and the USA. India has emerged as the world’s fastest growing large economy, but closer scrutiny suggests this impressive economic performance derives largely from structural factors such as labor force growth and the Balassa-Samuelson effect. Indeed, notwithstanding its superior level of economic development relative to India, China still posts stronger economic gains from investment and total factor productivity growth. While the two economies have grown markedly faster than the three developed economies against which we compare them, both Indian and Chinese growth has come with huge increases in greenhouse gas emissions. Our findings underscore the importance of Chinese and Indian participation in efforts to avoid the more dire impacts of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many rural communities across the world, a systemic lack of environmental monitoring and technical resources can pose significant barriers in the understanding and management of the local food–energy–water (FEW) systems. Further, nexus features and solutions in rural communities can be extremely place based and require a robust engagement with community stakeholders whose local knowledge is critical to understanding and framing of appropriate decision problems. In this case study, a participatory framing approach was used to coproduce a conceptual model to adaptively manage water systems in a hyperlocalized FEW nexus in the rural village E. Palaguttapalli Gram Panchayat in Andhra Pradesh in India. We collected qualitative data regarding the perceptions and experiences of farming in the village to identify key stressors of interest, socioeconomic conditions, and natural drivers of the FEW system and individual and collective actions to manage these stressors. Results indicate that key stressors of both groundwater depletion and dwindling labor supply were felt throughout the village. However, sociocultural differences between the hamlets influenced the preferred individual and collective FEW management actions to manage these stressors, particularly for scarce water resources. The codeveloped conceptual model of the FEW system reflects the unique natural and socioeconomic conditions, as well as preferred actions to manage key stressors of interest in this village. The proposed approach to frame FEW nexus management problems serves as a useful guide for engaging communities in decision-making involving similar data-sparse and hyperlocalized FEW nexus ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indian official data points out a progressive decline in child labour during last three decades.Nevertheless, there are several gaps that need to be addressed for targed policy intervention. This paper highlights the key socioeconomic vulnerabilities among children in rural and urban India and also summarize the key focus areas to be prioritized. We posit that children's entry into the labour force is driven by varied access to resources such as education, societal status and gender. The children in Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes households are the most vulnerable. We recommend prioritizing easy‐to‐access quality education among the key strategies for eradicating child labour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The recommended public healthcare infrastructure and human resources are essential to deliver healthcare services, particularly in tribal areas, as the country's tribal population depends mainly on the public healthcare system for their medical needs. India has a substantial share of the tribal population, accounting for approximately 9% of the total population. The paper reviews the state of public healthcare infrastructure and human resources in tribal areas for a period that spreads over a decade. Design/methodology/approach: The paper relied on data from the Government of India's Rural Health Statistics (RHS) reports (2011–2012 and 2021–2022). From these reports, data on the physical infrastructure and human resources in the tribal areas were extracted. The extracted data were compiled and analyzed using Microsoft Excel. Findings: The analysis showed that the improvement in public healthcare infrastructure and human resource situation in tribal areas of the country was not commensurate with the tribal population growth seen in the last decade. As a result, the average population covered by a health facility was greater than the prescribed norms in the tribal-dominated geographies. The health worker-population ratio at the primary healthcare level was also higher than the national norms. However, there was a substantial improvement in the doctor-population ratio at the primary health center level. In comparison to tribal-lean states, tribal-dominated states faced the concurrent challenge of a growing population and strained healthcare facilities and human resources. As a result, the healthcare infrastructure and human resource gap continued in the tribal-dominated states of the country. The gaps in health infrastructure and human resources in tribal-dominated states must be addressed as a priority under the health infrastructure strengthening efforts to ensure that the tribal population receives and has access to quality health care from publicly funded health facilities, leading to improved health outcomes in the tribal population and the achievement of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Originality/value: We have not come across any paper that has carried out pancountry analysis of healthcare infrastructure and human resources in tribal areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This report is based on a 2023 nationwide survey and literature review of physician associates/assistants (PAs) in India. The National Commission for Allied and Healthcare Professions Act, 2021, which is being implemented in India, included guidelines for PA licensing, creating a unified national curriculum, and preventing malpractice. Methods: Using a purposive sampling strategy, we surveyed 536 PAs in India between February 10 and April 30, 2023. The survey collected data on demographics, academic qualifications, specialties, salaries, job satisfaction, and future outlooks through an online questionnaire. Results: The survey showed that most PAs are below age 30 years, and most graduated PAs were involved in clinical practice in 2023. PAs work in almost all clinical specialties; most practice in private hospitals. States in southern India continued to dominate educating and employing PAs, with a nationwide representation of more than 14 states. More than 80% of practicing PAs are satisfied with their profession; however, the majority are unsatisfied with their wages. Conclusions: This first formal survey on India's PAs illustrates the challenges of PA professional practice and standardization of education and licensure in the Indian healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivation: The participation rate of women in India's labour force is not only one of the lowest in the world, it has also been declining. To increase women's employment, some observers argue for reducing occupational gender segregation so that more women enter non‐traditional jobs. Purpose: I ask how aspirations for non‐traditional jobs are formed among young women in Delhi. The aim was to enable policy‐makers to foster occupational aspirations for non‐traditional jobs so women could enter jobs considered to be men's work, reducing gender segregation and increasing women's participation in the labour market. Methods and approach: I interviewed 72 young women from low‐income households in Delhi, following a semi‐structured guide. These young women were training either in jobs seen as the preserve of men—taxi drivers, electricians, and electronics mechanics—or in traditionally female work in beauty salons. Findings: Contrary to conventional wisdom, young women's entry into non‐traditional training in Delhi was not a result of their occupational aspirations. Rather, entry into training saw them aspire to the jobs for which they trained. Policy implications: To increase women's entry into jobs dominated by men, policy‐makers do not need to influence young women's occupational aspirations. Instead, they should focus on factors that directly affect job entry—for example, having training centres close to where these young women live—and provide opportunities for young women to train. Traditional concepts of occupational aspirations, generally derived from the global North, do not apply in the same way to young women in India. My study raises questions about these conceptions of aspirations and prompts future studies to assess whether they apply in other parts of the global South. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses India's a shortage of labor and advocates for new data collection methods to better understand underemployment. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive measures recommended by the International Conference of Labour Analysts, as well as the importance of addressing underemployment in order to inform labor market policies and address welfare and livelihood issues, particularly in sectors with persistent underemployment.

Using the lens of a life cycle model, we argue that an administrative failure of a wage payment delay in a workfare programme could adversely affect the welfare of the poor through two channels. First, it imposes an implicit consumption tax on the household. Second, it changes the status of labour from a "cash" to a credit" good and encourages workers with negative net worth to work harder to clear off the debt. The loss of welfare persists even when the worker has outside employment options. The model's prediction accords well with India's flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), where payment delay to workers participating in the programme has been endemic. Our empirical evidence suggests that, contrary to conventional wisdom, worker participation in the MGNREGA programme is positively associated with a wage payment delay. However, such increased worker participation instead of signalling success of the programme points to a deeper problem of this workfare programme because of the welfare loss suffered by asset‐poor households. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The literature on women empowerment highlights a positive correlation between work and decision‐making power of women within families. On the contrary, the role of work opportunities in letting women achieve greater control over their lives, making them more independent is also well‐established. In this background, we explore the effect of women employment on different dimensions of women empowerment by using a nationally representative household survey data, the Indian Human Development Survey (IHDS‐II, 2011–12). As "empowerment" is unobservable, multi‐faceted and difficult to quantify, we model it by an index which aggregates the qualitative answers provided by a respondent. Due to the presence of an endogenous relation, we exploit sources of exogenous variations in employment through an instrumental variable (IV) setup. Following the literature, we identify IV as the level of transport infrastructure in the region where a woman resides. We find that the estimated coefficients are positive and statistically significant, remaining robust to changes in empowerment calculation. In the context of public initiatives aimed at improving female labour force participation and empowering women in India, our results show how policymakers can look beyond standard policies and take the help of transport‐related initiatives to improve employment and empowerment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Till now, studies have determined the existence of process innovation using survey data; however, in this paper, we use secondary data to empirically establish its presence in low-tech industries. Our empirical approach consists of data envelopement analysis in the first step followed by regression analysis in the second step. We use a cross-sectional dataset, i.e., Annual Survey of Industries, 2017–2018 for our study. Our results suggest that among Indian low-tech firms, investment in computer equipment and software is the most popular strategy to trigger process innovation followed by investment in plant and machinery. We find that these factors have a greater impact on firms that export products and import inputs, than on firms that export products but do not import inputs. In other words, the export-import orientation of firms induces a differential impact of these factors on process innovation. One policy implication from the study is that government should encourage and incentivize low-tech firms to improve the capabilities of its labour force. This is the first paper in the Indian context that uses secondary data to empirically determine the existence of process innovation in low-tech industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The labor force participation rate of women in India has decreased despite economic growth, which has limited the advancement of their rights unlike in most other countries. This paper examines the determinants of labor force participation by gender in rural and urban areas using a probit model with data from the India Human Development Survey (IHDS) for 2011–2012 to analyze the factors that restrict workforce participation. The estimation results are presented below. First, the marital status of males, both rural and urban, has a significant impact on their participation in the workforce due to family support. In contrast, females face multiple restrictions based on marital, caste and religion, demonstrating that sociocultural factors have limited their participation regardless of regional factors. Second, in rural areas, the educational years of female workers negatively affect labor participation, but the constraints of marriage are weaker than in urban areas. Women in lower castes participate more in the rural labor force, which is interpreted as a result of their livelihood in the industrial structure consisting of agriculture. On the other hand, the caste system negatively affects female participation in urban areas. Finally, these results indicate that the low-labor participation of females is the result of a complicated process influenced by various factors, including regional effects and patriarchal cultural values in India. Therefore, it is necessary to provide employment opportunities and encourage economic incentives for more women to enter the labor market spontaneously, considering regional effects in policies, in order for women to emerge as one group of social leaders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Delivering specialised care for major burns requires a multidisciplinary health workforce. While health systems ‘hardware’ issues, such as shortages of the healthcare workforce and training gaps in burn care are widely acknowledged, there is limited evidence around the systems ‘software’ aspects, such as interest, power dynamics, and relationships that impact the healthcare workforce performance. This study explored challenges faced by the health workforce in burn care to identify issues affecting their performance. Qualitative in-depth interviews were conducted with a purposively selected sample (n = 31, 18 women and 13 men) of various cadres of the burn care health workforce in Uttar Pradesh, India. Inductive coding and thematic analysis identified three major themes. First, the dynamics within the multidisciplinary team where complex relations, power and normative hierarchy hampered performance. Second, the dynamics between health workers and patients due to the clinical and emotional challenges of dealing with burn injuries and multitasking. Third, dynamics between specialised burn units and broader health systems are narrated in challenges due to inadequate first response and delayed referral from primary care facilities. These findings indicate that burn care health workers in India face multiple challenges that need systemic intervention with a multipronged human resource for health framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to gauge the extent of extant inequality India. It draws upon diverse data sources like nutritional adequacy, income distribution and satellite photos, among others. Additionally, it explores the labour markets and social sectors to seek the origins of inequality. The findings indicate significant disparities not only between states but also among different demographic groups within the population. Compared internationally, the levels of overall deprivation appear rather high. Malnutrition also poses a substantial challenge and adversely affects labour markets. Moreover, employment rates have not been able to keep pace with the growing population of working-age individuals over time, notably due to a significant withdrawal of female workers from the labour force. This trend, alongside labour redundancy, fosters economic dependency and heightens vulnerability at the household level. In the realm of social sectors, both Education and Health exhibit deficiencies in quality and affordability, perpetuating inherent inequality. E.g. The cost of education escalates with each academic grade., Similarly, excessive privatisation in healthcare has inflated the cost of accessing medical services. The overarching development process lacks adequate focus on inclusivity, evident in the marginalization of significant segments of the population in employment, education, and healthcare. Such exclusionary practices run counter to the principles of sustainable development and human welfare. Historical neglect of social sectors has contributed to an excessively large population, exacerbating the issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Organisational culture (OC) and employee engagement (EE) are the two constructs that form the basis of this research to investigate the effect of OC on EE of government and private sector employees in India and Nigeria on a comparative basis. The study also evaluates the role of myriad demographic factors taken as independent variables on these two dependent variables. The sample of 107 participants was collected through non-probability convenience sampling using a questionnaire. The analysis of raw data was accomplished using Percentages, Simple Means, Standard Deviation, One Way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Levene Statistics, Pearson Chi-Square Test, Spearman's Correlations, and Cronbach's Alpha as statistical tools. The findings indicated many similarities as well as variances in different types of organizations vis-à-vis the relationship between OC and EE in these two countries, concluding with managerial ramifications discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines employee volunteerism's effect in preventing workforce reduction and reducing product quality issues in India. The study used the social identity theory to explore the relationship between employee volunteerism and workforce reduction and product quality issues. A sample size of 800 firm-year observations between 2010 and 2019 was utilised. Descriptive analysis, probit regression and panel probit regression were employed for data interpretation. The study shows that employee volunteerism does not prevent but instead increases workforce reduction of listed firms in an emerging economy. The research also shows that employee volunteerism is insignificant in reducing product quality issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Gender inequality is pervasive in many societies, creating disparities between genders in terms of what they can accomplish and their access to opportunities. Achieving sustainable development necessitates providing equal chances to all, regardless of gender. Despite the remarkable economic progress India has attained, gender inequality is a major concern. Against this backdrop, the current study endeavours to comprehend gender inequality and analyse the extent of gender gap in India using secondary data. India's performance in major gender-related indices paints a stark picture of gender inequality in the country. The study also finds that there exists gender gap in India concerning health, education, political representation and economic participation. Further, the study finds that female labour force participation has steadily declined over the years, raising concerns over the inclusiveness of India's economic growth. The findings of the study provide valuable insights to policymakers to formulate effective policies that promote gender equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Using household-level data from Employment–Unemployment Survey (EUS) and Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) rounds for India between 2012 and 2019, our paper suggests that better economic conditions of households continued to be associated with higher instances of exit from the labour market for both men and women during the last decade, while, this effect was stronger for women. Enrolment in higher education during the survey rounds was associated with higher instances of exit for women from households with better economic conditions, a result not found to be significant for men. In the presence of employment benefits, the likelihood was reduced significantly for women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and multiple rounds of the Consumer Pyramids Household Survey from Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the paper summarises evidence on changes in the employment–unemployment scenario since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and related curbs on economic activity since April 2020. The paper presents evidence on how the pandemic affected pre-existing gender, caste gaps and patterns of employment by sector of production (agricultural, manufacturing, and services). The paper situates these shifts in a longer arc, comparing them to the pre-COVID employment scenario, to understand the long-term impact of the pandemic on the Indian labour market. The data show that the pandemic reinforced and deepened many of the pre-existing schisms. As economic activity is recovering, employment is increasing, but is yet to return to the pre-pandemic levels. The employment challenge is bigger than just achieving the pre-pandemic levels: there is an urgent need to boost job creation and rectify pre-pandemic deep-rooted inequalities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the most speedy and substantial social shifts in human history has been the evolution of gender relations since the turn of the 20th century. Even though female health, literacy and women participation in workforce have significantly improved, the status of women in Indian society is not very satisfactory leading to gender disparities. It is in this background that this paper attempts to analyse the role of education, labour market and health in reducing gender disparities across the states over the period of time. To analyse the impact of these variables, Gender Disparity Index (GDI) has been constructed utilising the data from Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) and Sample Registration System (SRS) to measure gender disparities in 20 major states and union territories (UTs) of India. For the construction of GDI, we have used three dimensions, namely health, empowerment and labour market participation. The index is prepared to make a decadal comparative study for the years 2011–12 and 2020–21. The statistical results indicate that there is a significant difference in mean of the GDI scores for 2020–21 and 2011–12. The paper concludes with certain policy implications suggesting that there is a need to put more effort into creating infrastructure and cutting-edge policies to improve the health and education systems. The focus should also be to create more employment opportunities for females, helping them to raise their standard of living so as to enhance their contribution towards economic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite much impetus on economic growth, educational expansion, health and infrastructural development, women participation in labour force market is not improving. Women participation in politics, leadership positions, national parliaments and local government, judiciary and police force is very essential for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. The said target is clearly mentioned as SDG 5.5 which entails—"Ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life". In India, percentage of female elected representatives in parliament rose from 9.0% in 1999 (13th Lok Sabha general elections) to 14.4% in 2019 (17th Lok Sabha general elections) as per the statistical reports published by the Election Commission of India. Thus, the paper tries to study the relationship between women in parliament (MP) and female labour force participation rates (FLPR) using panel data across Indian states for the period 1999 to 2019. The objective of the paper is to empirically examine the relationship between female (elected) political representation and FLPR, using fixed effect panel data model across 15 Indian states excluding Union Territories (UTs), North-Eastern States (NEs), Delhi, Goa, and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The panel data is created by taking data of female elected candidates of different states from the statistical reports of general elections published by Election Commission of India and that of FLPR is extracted from various rounds of National Statistical Office (NSO) and Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) reports, respectively. The empirical results suggest that higher political representation of women is associated with favourable female labour outcomes. Our result implies that Female Political Representation (FPR) has a positive and significant effect on FLPR under fixed effect model. However, the random effect model suggests net state domestic product (NSDP) per capita has a negative and significant effect on FLPR, while, Fixed effect model suggests that female literacy rate has a negative and significant effect on FLPR which are consistent with the established literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the pace and pattern of employment in India during the last four decades using the Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) (1983 to 2011–12) and Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) (2017–18 to 2020–21). The estimates reflect that, notwithstanding the impressive economic growth, aided by demographic dividend, the economy has witnessed a low sustained employment generation. The present analysis reflects a notable increase in both output growth and employment between the years 1983 and 2004-05. However, subsequent to this period, there exists a distinct phase of economic development characterised by a lack of job creation from 2004–05 to 2017-18 and a rebound thereafter. The concerning divergence between Gross Value Added (GVA) growth and employment growth is reflected in the continued dominance of agriculture in terms of employment share even when its GVA share is dismal. Besides, the low employment elasticities of non-farm sectors including industry and services indicate the inability of the non-farm sector to absorb additional labour force and hence sluggish employment opportunities. The slow rate of employment growth during the period of high economic growth failed to bring down overall unemployment. Consequentially, the findings serve as a rebuttal to the claim of 'slow' structural transformation. Not only that the labour market is characterising by significant gender disparity, but there is also a growing level of unemployment for the highly educated youth than the less educated. Apparently, economic growth rather than creating more jobs has resulted in net labour displacement as can be seen from the disaggregated analysis of Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Work Force Participation Rate (WFPR), and unemployment rate. The discourse of falling and lower employment elasticities and strong GVA growth painting a discordant picture of the economy calls for an urgent policy redressal in expanding the human capacity to participate in the new economic and social opportunities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the inter-regional intra-industry disparity within selected Indian manufacturing industries and industrial states. The study uses three measures—the Output-Capital Ratio, the Capital-Labor Ratio, and the Output-Labor Ratio—to critically evaluate the level of disparity in average efficiency of labor and capital, as well as capital intensity. Additionally, the paper compares the rate of disparity of per capita income between six major industrial states. The study finds that underutilization of capacity is driven by an unequal distribution of high-skilled labor supply and upgraded technologies. To address these disparities, the paper suggests that policymakers campaign for labor training and technology promotion schemes throughout all regions of India. By doing so, the study argues, the country can reduce regional inequality and improve economic outcomes for all. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There was a phase in the early to mid-nineties of the 'mushrooming' of stand-alone B-Schools, that could be called as first generation B-schools owing to their incarnation as an institution deliberately manufactured to manufacture the input materials for the 'about to be scaled up' Corporate sector considering the Liberalization policy of the then existing Government. Three decades following this, another round of mushrooming is being witnessed again, but this time a more broad sensed University system aimed at offering a relatively bigger basket of more technical courses under the colossal propagation of the New Education policy of the Government. Universities are crossing the 1100 mark now in India, thereby, resulting in a rapid surge in demand of different kind of human resources to cope up with the speedy trajectory desired for positioning the Institution under the leader category! This article tries to find out whether approaches towards the fulfillment of HR acquisition objectives have a conducive directional flow or an erratic one, and also how the demandsupply is being managed! It tries to suggest effective ways in which requisite manpower for B-Schools can be had keeping in mind the emerging academic and industrial environment not only in India but across the Globe!. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Stereotypes have been a barrier to providing patients a diverse orthopaedic workforce. Our goal was to identify stereotypes and disparities among doctors and their patients regarding the attributes that should determine a competent orthopaedic surgeon. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive multicenter study was conducted in India. Tailored questionnaires were administered to patients and orthopaedic postgraduates to determine the attributes they believe patients prefer in their orthopaedic surgeon. Likert data and data on preferred sex of the surgeon were analyzed as categorical data sets using frequency statistics. Participants were asked to rank surgeon attributes and analysis was based on frequency of an item among top 5 surgeon attributes. Results: 304 patients and 91 orthopaedic postgraduates participated in the study. 70.4% and 73% of patients and 27.5% and 29.6% of postgraduates preferred an orthopaedic surgeon with greater physical strength as an outpatient consultant or operating surgeon respectively. 81% of patients had no preference of the sex of their doctor. 56% of postgraduates felt patients would prefer a male operating surgeon, none felt their patient would prefer female orthopaedic surgeon. 92.3% of the female postgraduates felt patients would prefer a male orthopaedic surgeon. Patients most often ranked years of experience, surgical outcomes, time spent with patients, reputation, and physical strength in their top 5 surgeon attributes and sex, religion, and community were given least importance. Conclusion: Diversity among the orthopaedic workforce is necessary to optimize patient care. It is our collective responsibility to educate our patients and trainees and redress the misconceptions and stereotypes that plague our profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agriculture industry is one of India's largest and most important economic contributors. This is vital to the Indian economy since it contributes around 18% to the GDP and employs over 60% of the labour force. Due to the nature of the goods, however, this sector confronts many challenges. An effective agri‐logistics network can be a viable solution, but the sector must be prepared to overcome various risks. Therefore, this study aimed to identify potential risks to the smart, sustainable agri‐logistics industry and strategies for mitigating those risks. Bayesian Best Worst Method (BBWM) was used to prioritise the identified risks and the mitigating strategies. Study results indicate that by obtaining the highest ratings, technological (0.351), social (0.187), and individual (0.169) are the dominating risks to the agri‐logistics sector. Further, it was discovered that combining multiple strategies is more effective than any one strategy alone in reducing the identified risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study attempts to investigate genderinequality in India from a regional standpoint. An attempt has been made to investigate each area ofIndia independently in order to determine the true image of gender inequality in our nation, namely North-East India, Eastern India, Central India, Northern India, Western India, and South India. The current analysis is entirely based on secondary data. This study is based on the development of the Gender Inequality Index (GII) for all six representative sample states from India's six geographical regions. The extent of inequality in women's and men's achievement has been measured across three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment, and labour market involvement. According to the study, there is less gender inequality in Madhya Pradesh (with a Gender Inequality Index score of 0.33), a typical state in Central India, than in other areas of India. The Gender Inequality Index score of both Tamil Nadu (with a Gender Inequality Index score of 0.46), which is a representative state of South India, and Madhya Pradesh, is better than the South Asian region (Gender Inequality Index score of0.508) and close to the global average (Gender Inequality Index score 0.465). In India, the status of gender equality has improved in recent decades, yet females continue to outperform males in practically all parameters of growth. In all the study states, females' political engagement is much lower than male participation. Similarly, the proportion of women in India's workforce is lower than that of men. According to the study, gender inequality is quite severe in Bihar (Gender Inequality Index score 0.64), a sample state in Eastern India. Bihar performs worse than the other sample states on practically every indicator of gender inequality. In Bihar, female labour force participation, achievements of females in higher education etc. are very low. Also, the adolescent fertility rate is very high in this state. Among the many other reasons for gender inequality, Bihar's socioeconomic system, which is still patriarchal with a strong preference for son, is one of the factors contributing to the state's substantial gender inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Backround: Occupational Therapy is increasingly becoming popular. The objective of the present study is to develop an insight to the current trends in practice of occupational therapy in India. The target group chosen for the study are budding occupational therapists who have completed their graduation within the last 5 years. Objectives: The study aims to investigate the trends in location of work setups, nature of organization of work, nature of place of employment, current work profile, nature of cases these budding therapists are dealing with currently, the work setup they are employed in and remuneration they are receiving. The trends emerging from the present study would be helpful to understand the current work dynamics and thus prepare the young workforce for future possible opportunities. Study Design: The present study was a survey-based research design. Data was gathered through a questionnaire. Methods: This questionnaire was distributed on an online platform to 695 therapists practicing across India. Care was taken to include only the therapists who had completed their graduation within the last five years i.e., between 2018-22. Data collection was carried out for a period of 8 months from October 2021 to May 2022. RESULTS: The analyses revealed that the profession of Occupational Therapy in the country is dominated by female therapists. The age of the workforce that have responded are in their mid-twenties. Most of them are working in urban or metropolitan setups primarily in Paediatric setups in clinics which are mostly privately owned rehabilitation centres. Conclusion: The present analyses pointed out that there may be a lack of diversification of practice in Occupational Therapy in the country. It also indicated that the freshly graduated out professionals feel that there are a limited remuneration and lack of opportunities in the Government sector, and as a result the current scenario suggests that most of them after being trained turn their head to foreign land for a better opportunity with respect to employment. However, new setups and areas of practice are slowly emerging and opportunities for young budding therapists are increasing back home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indian economy is currently passing through a critical phase of economic development as its structural transformation in employment has stalled, whilst both the youth unemployment rate and the number of youths "Not in Employment, Education, and Training (NEET)" have increased to an unprecedentedly high level. In the context in which the share of the youth population is continuing to rise despite the declining fertility rate to below the replacement rate, increased educated youth unemployment has caused an upsurge in the Discouraged Labour Force (DLF). This paper explores the trends, composition, and determinants of rising DLF in India using national level employment-unemployment surveys and macro-level panel data. Based on Multinomial logit and System GMM regression results, it is argued that policies aiming to enhance human capabilities through an improved base of technical education and the promotion of industry are necessary to enhance the growth of quality jobs in order to combat the problem of rising educated youth unemployment and DLF. Moreover, these measures could help in the process of harnessing the demographic dividend in India through an increased level of labour productivity in the long run. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the increasing pace of globalisation and technological changes on the one hand and low access to general education in developing countries on the other, possession of knowledge and skill has become critically important. India positioned at the verge of transformation to become a knowledge-based economy, unfortunately has low-skilled less market-ready section of people, particularly women, for whom education in general stream still remains a panacea. Vocational training (VT) is an important vehicle of skill development, which can offer those women a second chance to gather skill and successfully participate in labour market. However, evidence suggests that in spite of direct government intervention, they often fail to benefit from skilling programmes. While the existing literature primarily focuses on why women who get VT still cannot get high-earning jobs unlike the men, this paper, based on NSSO Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2018–19 unit-level data, tries to shade light on the access to vocational training of women vis-à-vis men in India and explore whether gender works as an obstacle for accessing vocational training in India and an eastern state, namely West Bengal. Results find that women suffer from disproportionately low access to VT across all education groups. Access is particularly meagre for low general education, indicating that as hypothesised, VT cannot substitute the lack of general education for the women. Even if the women get access to VT, the options available to them are limited and gender-stereotyped. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Re-emerging joint families and declining female labour force participation rates (FLFPR) are the two paradoxical consequences of India's steady urbanisation over the past few decades. In this backdrop, our study is motivated to examine the causal link between intergenerational co-residence and married women's employment status in urban India. Exploiting housing affordability in the locality as an instrument for co-residence with in-laws, we find significant negative impact of such traditional but still relevant social institution on women's labour force participation. We identify access to pooled financial resources and lack of decision-making authority relating to work participation as the key drivers of this phenomenon. However, co-residence does not act as a barrier to women's work in families characterised by lower economic status. Public policies encouraging family nuclearisation are to accelerate the process of household transformation which in turn would promote women's work in urban India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper contributes the literature in the following ways: (a) It establishes negative sole impact of urban outdoor air-pollution and its interaction-effect with growth, poverty, and urbanisation on female life-expectancy (FLE), hence on female labour force participation rate (FLFPR); proving the positive two-way relation between these two through estimating a simultaneous panel-model comprising equations of FLFPR and FLE, for Indian-states over the period 2017–2022. The significant impact of the interaction-effect shows partial-effect of a change in the concerned variable on FLE and on FLFPR depends on air-pollution. Thus, measures to raise growth, urbanisation or reduce poverty can improve FLE and FLFPR, provided air-pollution is mitigated. (b) Moreover, significant impact of interaction-effect of household-size and growth (Lnnsdp × HHsz) on FLFPR is supported, i.e., the impact of growth on FLFPR depends on household-size and vice-versa. A critical-level of Lnnsdp × HHsz exists; FLFPR increases/falls with Lnnsdp × HHsz according as actual Lnnsdp × HHsz is lesser/higher than critical-level. The higher sample-mean of Lnnsdp × HHsz than critical-value implies FLFPR falls with both growth and household-size, i.e. given household-size, income-effect dominates and women value leisure more. It adds the earlier inverted-U feminisation hypothesis for India investigating only sole-impact of growth on FLFPR. (c) Further, the relationship between interaction-effect of female education and household-size (Hedu × HHsz) on FLFPR is U-type, i.e., a critical level of Hedu × HHsz exists, FLFPR falls/rises with Hedu × HHsz according as actual Hedu × HHsz is lesser/higher than critical-level. The lower sample-mean of Hedu × HHsz than critical-value implies, FLFPR falls with education and household-size, i.e., female education does not necessarily imply higher FLFPR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]