Globalisation and Changing Patterns of Employment in India

Abstract:     
If Globalisation has created a new world that simply did not exist earlier, they have also created aspiration that were unheard of 15 years ago. And that is the real challenge. The post reform period has seen one of the fastest periods of reduction in poverty, but there is no doubt that in numbers we are still home to 1/3 of the worlds poor. The ground has been laid. There is a new dynamism created by the record 8% plus GDP growth for four consecutive years. This could provide a launching pad for even higher growth in the years to come, provided we use the opportunity wisely. Globalisation is about changing mindsets, but it is even more about effecting that change within a reasonable time frame. The reason is simple. The world will not wait while we debate.

The real problem of poverty has had its roots in vast scale under-employment and disguised unemployment and in low wages paid to the workers. The situation in post-nineties has opened the vistas of casual, contract and other forms of unprotected labour employment. With the limited role of the state and weakening position of trade unions the problem has taken newer shapes and nuances.

Keywords: globalization, reform privatization

JEL Classification: A19

working papers series