1st Edition

Employment and Labour Market in North-East India Interrogating Structural Changes

Edited By Virginius Xaxa, Debdulal Saha, Rajdeep Singha Copyright 2019
    422 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge India

    422 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge India

    422 Pages 27 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge India

    This book examines the structural changes in the labour market in North-East India. Going beyond the conventional study of tea and agricultural sectors, it focuses on the nature, pattern and structure of work and employment in the region as well as documents emerging shifts in the labour force towards farm to non-farm dynamics. The chapters explore historical developments in employment patterns, labour market policies, issues of gender and social-religious dimensions, as well as point to growing forms of casual, informal and contractual labour across sectors.

    Through large-scale data and detailed case studies on unfree labour in plantations and those employed in crafts, handloom and the manufacturing industry, the book provides insights into labour and employment in the region. It also delves into the temporal and spatial dimensions of non-farm employment and its relationship with rural income distribution and labour mobility. By bringing interdisciplinary perspectives from scholars working on North-East India, this work fills a major gap in the political economy of the labour market in the region.

    The volume will be useful to scholars and researchers of development studies, North-East India studies, labour studies, economics, sociology and political science as well to those involved with governance and policymaking.

    List of Figures

    List of Tables

    Contributors

    Preface

    List of Abbreviations

    Introduction

    Debdulal Saha, Virginius Xaxa and Rajdeep Singha

    I. Structure and Patterns of Employment in North-East India 

    1. Labour and Labour Market in North-East India: A Historical Exploration
    2. Virginius Xaxa

    3. Changing Trajectories of Economic Growth and Employment in North-East India: An Empirical Assessment
    4. Anjan Chakrabarti

    5. Structure and Quality of Employment in North-East India: A Socio-Religious Analysis
    6. Ajaya Kumar Naik and Nitin Tagade

    7. Women’s Employment in North-East India: Trends and Patterns
    8. Bornali Borah

      II. Work, Employment and Labour in Industries

    9. Beyond Standard Outcomes: State of Employment and Labour in Tea Industry of Assam
    10. Debdulal Saha, Rajdeep Singha and Padmini Sharma

    11. Work, Control and Mobility in the Manufacturing Industry: A Study of Cement Industry in Assam
    12. Piyali Bhowmick

    13. Fostering Employment in the Handloom Sector in the North-East through Cluster Development: A Case Study of Mizoram
    14. Rama Ramswamy

    15. From Craft to Industry: Understanding the Dynamics of Handloom Weaving in Manipur
    16. Otojit Kshetrimayum

      III. Migration and Labour Mobility

    17. Employment Potentials of Migrant Workers in Meghalaya: An Empirical Exploration
    18. Jajati Keshari Parida

    19. Out-migration and Labour Mobility: Case Studies from Assam
    20. Snehashish Mitra

      IV. Employment Diversification 

    21. Rural Non-Farm Employment in North-East India: A Temporal and Spatial Analysis
    22. Bhagirathi Panda

    23. Trend, Composition and Determinants of Rural Non-farm Employment in Assam and Its Implication for Rural Income Distribution
    24. Anamika Das

    25. Employment Diversification in Tripura

    Rajdeep Singha

    Index

    Biography

    Virginius Xaxa is Professor of Eminence and Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Chair at Tezpur University, Assam, India.

    Debdulal Saha is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Labour Studies and Social Protection, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Off Campus, Assam, India.

    Rajdeep Singha is Assistant Professor and Chairperson at the Centre for Labour Studies and Social Protection, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Off Campus, Assam, India.