Employment in India and Tamilnadu — Class 9 Social Science (Samacheer Kalvi)
TN State Board (Samacheer Kalvi) Class 9 Social Science, Economics — Chapter 2. Jobs, workforce, and unemployment.
1. About this lesson
This chapter covers employment — who is considered part of the workforce, types of employment, the three sectors of the economy, problems of unemployment, and government schemes to generate employment in India and Tamil Nadu.
2. Workforce and Employment
- The age group taken for computation of the workforce is 15–60 years.
- Workforce = people who are working or available for work.
- Labour force participation rate = Workforce ÷ Total population (15–60) × 100.
Types of Employment
| Type | Features | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | Own business/farm; works for oneself | Farmers, shopkeepers, artisans |
| Regular Salaried | Fixed salary; job security; benefits | Government employees, corporate jobs |
| Casual Wage Labourers | Daily wages; no job security; irregular work | Construction workers, agricultural labourers |
3. Organised and Unorganised Sectors
| Feature | Organised Sector | Unorganised Sector |
|---|---|---|
| Registration | Registered with government | Not registered |
| Job security | Yes | No |
| Social security (PF, pension, medical) | Yes | No |
| Working hours | Fixed | Irregular |
| Examples | Banks, government offices, registered factories | Street vendors, domestic workers, small shops |
4. Sectors of the Economy
| Sector | Activities | % of Workforce (approx) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Agriculture, fishing, mining, forestry | ~45% |
| Secondary | Manufacturing, construction, electricity | ~25% |
| Tertiary (Services) | IT, banking, education, healthcare, trade | ~30% |
- Primary sector employs the most but has low productivity → disguised unemployment.
- Tertiary sector is the fastest growing.
5. Unemployment
Types of Unemployment
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Disguised | More workers than needed; removing some doesn't reduce output (common in agriculture) |
| Seasonal | Work only during certain seasons; off-season idle |
| Structural | Skills mismatch — technology replacing manual workers |
| Cyclical | Due to economic recession/downturn |
| Frictional | Temporary — between leaving one job and joining another |
| Educated | Graduates/job-seekers unable to find suitable employment |
Causes of Unemployment
- Slow economic growth.
- High population growth.
- Lack of skill development.
- Seasonal nature of agriculture.
- Use of capital-intensive technology.
6. Employment Schemes
| Scheme | Year | Features |
|---|---|---|
| MGNREGA | 2005 | 100 days guaranteed wage employment; rural households |
| PMKVY | 2015 | Skill development and vocational training |
| Startup India | 2016 | Promoting entrepreneurship |
| NREP / RLEGP | Earlier | Rural employment programmes |
| TN Skill Development | — | Skill training for Tamil Nadu youth |
7. Worked examples
Example 1. What age group is taken for workforce computation? 15–60 years.
Example 2. What is disguised unemployment? More workers than needed — removing some wouldn't reduce output.
Example 3. Name the scheme guaranteeing 100 days of rural employment. MGNREGA (2005).
8. Book-back questions (Samacheer Kalvi)
I. Choose the correct answer
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We take age group ______ years for computation of the workforce — (a) 12–60 / (b) 15–60 / (c) 21–65 / (d) 5–14. Ans: (b) 15–60.
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Disguised unemployment is mostly found in — (a) Banking / (b) IT industry / (c) Agriculture / (d) Manufacturing. Ans: (c) Agriculture.
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______ sector provides maximum employment in India — (a) Secondary / (b) Tertiary / (c) Primary / (d) Quaternary. Ans: (c) Primary.
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MGNREGA guarantees employment for — (a) 50 days / (b) 80 days / (c) 100 days / (d) 150 days. Ans: (c) 100 days.
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Workers in the unorganised sector do NOT get — (a) Daily wages / (b) Employment / (c) Social security benefits / (d) Work. Ans: (c) Social security benefits.
II. Fill in the blanks
- Casual wage labourers are paid daily wages without job security.
- The primary sector includes agriculture, fishing, and mining.
- MGNREGA was enacted in 2005.
- Seasonal unemployment occurs when work is available only during certain seasons.
- Employment in the organised sector includes benefits like PF, pension, and medical.
III. Match the following
| Column A | Column B |
|---|---|
| Disguised unemployment | Agriculture — extra workers |
| Seasonal unemployment | Only during crop seasons |
| MGNREGA | 100 days guaranteed employment |
| Self-employed | Own business/farm |
| Casual labour | Daily wages, no security |
IV. Answer briefly
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Define workforce. — People in the age group 15–60 who are working or available for work.
-
Types of employment — Self-employed (own business/farm), Regular salaried (fixed pay, benefits), Casual wage labourers (daily wages, no security).
-
Organised vs Unorganised — Organised: registered, job security, social benefits. Unorganised: not registered, no security, irregular wages.
-
Causes of unemployment — Slow growth, high population, lack of skills, seasonal nature of agriculture, capital-intensive technology.
V. Answer in detail
-
Explain the types of unemployment.
- Disguised: More workers than needed (agriculture).
- Seasonal: Only during certain seasons.
- Structural: Skills mismatch — technology change.
- Cyclical: Due to economic downturn.
- Frictional: Between jobs.
- Educated: Graduates without suitable jobs.
-
Discuss employment generation schemes.
- MGNREGA (2005): 100 days guaranteed wage employment, rural.
- PMKVY (2015): Skill development, vocational training.
- Startup India (2016): Promoting self-employment.
- Tamil Nadu Skill Development: Training TN youth.
9. Common mistakes
- Mistake: Workforce age group is 21–65. Fix: Workforce age group is 15–60 years.
- Mistake: Tertiary sector employs the most. Fix: Primary sector (agriculture) employs the most (~45%).
- Mistake: MGNREGA = 200 days. Fix: MGNREGA guarantees 100 days.
10. Quick revision
- Economics Ch 2 · Employment in India and Tamilnadu.
- Workforce: 15–60 years. Self-employed, Regular salaried, Casual labour.
- Organised (registered, benefits) vs Unorganised (no security).
- Sectors: Primary (45% jobs), Secondary (25%), Tertiary (30%).
- Unemployment: Disguised, Seasonal, Structural, Cyclical, Frictional, Educated.
- Schemes: MGNREGA (100 days, 2005), PMKVY, Startup India.
