MANISH GUPTA
Ranchi, Oct 6: Jharkhand has added 56,800 net new formal jobs in the first four months of the current fiscal till July 2022, as per the monthly payroll data from retirement fund body Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) released last month.
The 56,800 addition in jobs (net EPF subscribers) in Jharkhand in four months is about 60% of the total generation of net jobs in the previous fiscal 2021-22. The sudden spike has raised the state’s share from 0.79% to 0.93% in India’s total net job creation.
The all India net formal job creation (number of new EPF subscribers minus subscribers exited plus members who rejoined) in April-July 2022 was 61,12,209, or 50% of the net new jobs created in 2021-22.
Jharkhand (3.3 crore population as per Census 2011) did well even among other similar labour-exporting states in the vicinity like Chhattisgarh (2.6 crores) and Odisha (4.2 crores). Net new jobs created in both states in the four months is 45% of that in the last fiscal.
The labour ministry data shows that despite a good performance by both the neighbouring states their shares in total net new job creation in India went down. In Chhattisgarh, it fell to 0.89% from 0.98% in 2021-22, and Odisha’s share fell to 1.22% from 1.37%.
Interestingly, all three states’ shares in net job creation in the country saw a hike during the first year of the pandemic. Jharkhand’s share in the net new jobs rose from 0.84% to 0.86% in 2020-21, Chhattisgarh 0.84% to 1.06%, and Odisha 0.91% to 1.30%.
Another striking feature is that while it has been difficult for those above 35 years in the overall country’s job scenario, it has been better for this group in Jharkhand. About 32 lakh above 35-year workers lost their jobs in India from 2018-19 till July 2022.
The share of net new jobs going to those above 35 years in India stood at 15% in 2021-22 and 18.7% in the first four months of this fiscal, for Jharkhand the corresponding figures are 21.8% and 30.1%. Of the 56,800 new jobs here, 17,123 went to those above 35.