Employment and Labour Market in North-East India
Interrogating Structural Changes

This book examines the structural changes in the labour market in North-East India. Going beyond the conventional study of tea and agricultural sectors, it focuses on the nature, pattern and structure of work and employment in the region as well as documents emerging shifts in the labour force towards farm to non-farm dynamics. The chapters explore historical developments in employment patterns, labour market policies, issues of gender and social-religious dimensions, as well as point to growing forms of casual, informal and contractual labour across sectors.

Through large-scale data and detailed case studies on unfree labour in plantations and those employed in crafts, handloom and the manufacturing industry, the book provides insights into labour and employment in the region. It also delves into the temporal and spatial dimensions of non-farm employment and its relationship with rural income distribution and labour mobility. By bringing interdisciplinary perspectives from scholars working on North-East India, this work fills a major gap in the political economy of the labour market in the region.

The volume will be useful to scholars and researchers of development studies, North-East India studies, labour studies, economics, sociology and political science as well to those involved with governance and policymaking.

List of Figures List of Tables Contributors Preface List of Abbreviations IntroductionI. Structure and Patterns of Employment in North-East India1. Labour and Labour Market in North-East India: A Historical Exploration2. Changing Trajectories of Economic Growth and Employment in North-East India: An Empirical Assessment3. Structure and Quality of Employment in North-East India: A Socio-Religious Analysis4. Women’s Employment in North-East India: Trends and PatternsII. Work, Employment and Labour in Industries5.Beyond Standard Outcomes: State of Employment and Labour in Tea Industry of Assam6.Work, Control and Mobility in the Manufacturing Industry: A Study of Cement Industry in Assam7. Fostering Employment in the Handloom Sector in the North-East through Cluster Development: A Case Study of Mizoram8.From Craft to Industry: Understanding the Dynamics of Handloom Weaving in ManipurIII. Migration and Labour Mobility9. Employment Potentials of Migrant Workers in Meghalaya: An Empirical Exploration10. Out-migration and Labour Mobility: Case Studies from Assam IV. Employment Diversification11. Rural Non-Farm Employment in North-East India: A Temporal and Spatial Analysis 12. Trend, Composition and Determinants of Rural Non-farm Employment in Assam and Its Implication for Rural Income Distribution13. Employment Diversification in Tripura Index

Virginius Xaxa is Professor of Eminence and Bharat Ratna Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi Chair at Tezpur University, Assam, India.

Debdulal Saha is Assistant Professor at the Centre for Labour Studies and Social Protection, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Off Campus, Assam, India.

Rajdeep Singha is Assistant Professor and Chairperson at the Centre for Labour Studies and Social Protection, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Guwahati Off Campus, Assam, India.