Labour Flexibility, Judicial Retreat, and Intersectional Inequality: The Political Economy of Contract Work in India

Liberalism brought an economic boom, and the market continued to expand. Globalisation and neo-liberalism gradually changed the market. Profit-oriented market-focused on cost-cutting, and hence created the culture of “Precarity”. Unfortunately, mostly, women and the marginalised communities are trapped in this precarious job structure. India has restructured employment relations, intensifying labour flexibility while eroding employment security. Women and marginalised communities are disproportionately concentrated in precarious contract-based employment. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, using Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data alongside secondary qualitative evidence. Logistic and wage regression models reveal statistically significant disadvantages for marginalised communities in contract employment. The paper also analyses key Supreme Court judgments affecting contract labour regulation and evaluates the implications of the recent Labour Codes. The findings are linked to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 5, 8, and 10. The study proposes a policy framework centred on universal social protection and labour governance.