Report of the Steering Committee on Labour and Employment for the Tenth Five Year Plan (2002-2007)

Abstract

The Report of the Steering Committee on Labour and Employment for the Tenth Five Year Plan, constituted by the Planning Commission under the chairpersonship of S. P. Gupta, presents a comprehensive framework for addressing labour force growth, employment generation, and social security challenges in India during 2002–2007. The report reviews labour force and employment projections using the Current Daily Status (CDS) methodology developed by the National Sample Survey Organisation, highlighting higher and more realistic unemployment estimates compared to the Usual Principal and Subsidiary Status (UPSS) approach. Based on projected GDP growth rates and employment elasticity from previous years, the Committee estimates a labour force increase of 1.8 percent per annum, with approximately 7.1 million new entrants each year, while anticipating that economic growth would generate around 5.9 million work opportunities annually, supplemented by government employment programmes to achieve a target of 10 million jobs per year. The report also outlines policy priorities including skill development and training, occupational safety and health, expansion of social security coverage to unorganized workers, reform of labour laws, and targeted interventions for vulnerable groups such as child labourers, bonded labourers, migrant workers, construction workers, and landless agricultural labourers. Emphasizing balanced employer–employee relations, productivity enhancement, and reduction of disparities between organized and unorganized sectors, the Committee proposes a broad-based, inclusive labour policy framework aimed at strengthening employment planning and promoting equitable socio-economic development.