3 million jobs lost in Bengal in informal sector from 2015: NSO Data

Recent data from the National Statistical Office(NSO) indicates a significant decline in employment within West Bengal's unincorporated enterprises over a seven-year period. Approximately 3 million jobs have been lost in these sectors from 2015-16 to 2022-23, making a substantial downturn in the state's informal economy. This downturn reflects a complex interplay of economic factors, including industrial fluctuations, policy changes, and broader market dynamics impacting small-scale businesses.

According to the latest Annual Survey on Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) report for 2021-22 and 2022-23 by the NSO, Maharashtra saw an increase of 2.4 million workers during the same period.  Analysis from the National Sample Survey's 73rd round on unincorporated enterprises for the period 2015-16 to 2022-23 revealed that 13 out of 28 states and three Union Territories experienced a decline in employment within the informal sector of the economy.

In addition to West Bengal, other states like Karnataka (1.3 million), Tamil Nadu (1.2 million), Uttar Pradesh (791,000), Andhra Pradesh (677,000), Kerala (640,000), Assam (494,000), and Telangana (344,000) also saw reductions in job numbers over the seven-year span.Alongside Maharashtra, states such as Gujarat (762,000), Odisha (761,000), and Rajasthan (756,000) recorded increases in the number of employed workers within the informal sector during the same period.

According to the data, in the Union Territories (UTs), the number of workers in unincorporated enterprises in Delhi decreased by almost 300,000, dropping from 2.3 million to 1.99 million during the same period. This was followed by declines in Chandigarh (51,000) and Puducherry (32,000). Comparable data for the UTs of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh is unavailable.