How share of jobs varies within social groups

ANALYSIS While SC/ST workers have a disproportionate share in low-paying occupations, certain sub-castes within the group are better off than the rest

such as Delhi and Maharashtra was almost double the value in backward states such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha. The reverse holds when it comes to share of workers in four lowest paying occupations in such states.

THREE: Even among SCS and STS, there are significant variations when it comes to representation in better and low paying occupations. For example, among SCS, Jatavs in Uttar Pradesh had a relative share of 1.1 in the top four occupations by MPCE. This number was just 0.6 for Balmikis in the state. Similarly, Minas had a relative share of 1.6 among STS in top four occupations by MPCE, which is much higher than the corresponding values for other SC/ST communities in the state. It should be noted that these relative shares represent share of a particular caste group within the SC/ST population and not the entire population. The subcaste analysis has also looked at only top six groups in each state within the SC/ST category to exclude communities which have a miniscule share in the total population within these groups.

See chart: Summary findings from sub-caste state-wise

Sub-castes and tribes such as Jatavs in Uttar Pradesh and Minas in Rajasthan account for almost half of the SC/ST worker population in these states. This might have given them significant political clout, generating tailwinds in pursuit of upward mobility in the job market. To be sure, there are also communities such as the Malai Arayan tribe in Kerala which accounts for less than 10% of the working ST population in the state, but has the highest relative share among STS in top four occupations by MPCE in the country.

The analysis given above underlines the hazards of mechanically prioritising one basis of deprivation against another while analysing the labour market in India. It also shows that India is in dire need of a database which can tell us about the exact socio-economic status of various social groups.