Changing workforce of Mumbai: a critical analysis

Princy Yesudian, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)

This paper focuses on the labour force of Mumbai, India. The metamorphosis of some islands into this mega city; the industrialization process and the changing labour force participation are briefly discussed in this paper. During the city's physical transformation, the labour force also witnessed many changes. Thecountry's entry into global economy created various changes in the pattern of labour. On one hand it generated new jobs in one sector but on the other hand various jobs had to be terminated due to industrial mergers or closures. Many labourers, whose employment is interrupted, remained unemployed or had to take up jobs, which are lower than their earlier employment. In many households' human resources, such as, women, children and elders had to enter the labour force just to keep the family at subsistence level. Women's labourforce participation has steadily increased over the decades.