Labour

India has set an ambitious goal of raising female labour force participation to 55 per cent by 2030, marking a major step toward unlocking the country’s demographic dividend and achieving inclusive economic growth.

The NCAER survey points to stagnation in India’s labour markets, reflecting the cautious stance of employers amid policy and trade uncertainty. Over 70 per cent of firms expect no change in their hiring plans for the next six months.

The “roti crisis” in Pakistan underscores the country’s broader economic challenge – a struggle to balance social welfare with inflationary pressures in an economy...

At least 16 people were killed and several others injured after a massive fire engulfed a garment factory and an adjoining chemical warehouse in Dhaka’s Mirpur area on Tuesday, October 14, exposing once again the fragile state of industrial safety in Bangladesh’s most vital economic sector.

According to the investment bank, India is on course to achieve average annual GDP growth of 6 to 6.5 per cent over the next decade – one of the fastest rates globally. However, this pace may not be enough to meet the employment aspirations of the country’s rapidly expanding working-age population, which will swell by nearly 100 million over the next ten years.

The report’s broader poverty measure underscores how deeply structural pressures are squeezing households. The poverty rate – nearly 28 per cent – has jumped significantly in just three years.

While male participation in the labour market remained largely steady, dipping only slightly from 48.1 million to 48.0 million, female participation plunged more markedly – from 25.3 million in 2023 to 23.7 million in 2024.