COVID-19 and Gendered Labour Market Shocks in India

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a major economic shock in India, disrupting labour markets and livelihoods across sectors. Although the crisis was not gender-neutral, the labour-market data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) show a pattern different from what global evidence suggests. The study is based purely on secondary data collected from PLFS reports from 2017-18 to 2022-23 to make a comparison between the pre-pandemic, during pandemic, and post -pandemic era with the help of descriptive statistics. This study analyses gendered labour-market outcomes using PLFS data, using key indicators such as Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and the Unemployment Rate disaggregated by sex. The findings show that female LFPR and WPR increased, particularly in rural areas compared to urban areas, as women moved into agriculture, livestock rearing, home-based work, and other forms of unpaid family labour during the pandemic and post-pandemic periods. At the same time, female unemployment declined, partly because women were absorbed into informal, low-productivity activities rather than exiting the labour force. Again, the rate of decline in female unemployment is higher in rural areas than in urban areas. Male LFPR and WPR remained relatively stable in both rural and urban areas, while male unemployment decreased gradually over time. Sectoral trends indicate a shift of both men and women into agriculture and self-employment, reflecting distress-driven adjustments after the pandemic. Overall, the findings indicate that the increase in women’s labour force participation was largely driven by economic distress rather than improved employment opportunities, reflecting factors such as economic necessity, reverse migration, and greater dependence on informal rural work. This underscores the gendered nature of labour market adjustments and highlights the urgent need for targeted policy interventions that distinguish between empowerment-led and distress-induced female labour force participation.