Employment and Unemployment in Kerala

In terms of quality of life indicators like literacy, life expectancy and infant mortality, the state of Kerala is ahead not only of the rest of the country but of almost all developing nations. Indeed, Kerala is often held up as an outstanding model of high social development in the developing world. In stark contrast is KeralaÆs low level of economic development. This is manifested most notably in a very pronounced incidence of unemployment which is three to five times higher than the all-India average. Employment and Unemployment in Kerala provides a comprehensive and in-depth analysis of employment and unemployment trends for Kerala utilizing the most reliable statistics, combined with E. T. MathewÆs own sample survey. The aim is to understand the causes for the very high rate of unemployment in Kerala despite the fact that it scores very high in social development indices. The author analyzes a number of aspects such as worker-population ratios, the decline in subsidiary status workers, the significant growth in casual employment, sectoral patterns of employment, and the impact of migration on employment. E. T. Mathew concludes that unemployment among the educated in Kerala has assumed alarming proportions and that this is particularly acute among women who have passed their secondary school exams. He also discusses the peculiar socio-economic factorsùsuch as the overriding preference for regular employment rather than self-employmentùthat have contributed to the extremely high incidence of educated unemployment in Kerala. With its clear focus and a broad canvas, this pioneering study deals with every relevant aspect of employment and underemployment in Kerala and will also serve as a model for the analysis of NSS data pertaining to other Indian states. It will be of interest to students of economics and development as also to planners and those studying employment.