ILO Wants India to End Wage Inequality

International Labor Organization has called for stronger implementation of wage law in India amid persistent low pay and inequality, especially in case of women. ILO’s India Wage Report said that the country’s economy in the past two decades has seen an annual average GDP rate of 7% but low pay and inequality persist, PTI reported. India’s economic growth, it said, has resulted in fall in poverty, moderate change in employment patterns with a growing proportion of workers in services and industry. However, a substantial proportion of workers (47%), continue to be employed in the agricultural sector, it said. The economy still faces informality and segmentation, the report said. More than 51% of the people employed in India, as per 2011-12 data, were self-employed and as many as 62% of wage earners are employed as casual workers, it said. It added that while the organized sector has seen a rise in employment, many jobs in this sector have been of casual or informal nature. The report pointed out that though the overall wage inequality in India has declined somewhat since 2004-05, it continues to remain high.