The Core Books

Ch 6 Employment: Growth, Informalisation and Other Issues

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in

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Class 11 • Indian Economic Development

NCERT Class 11 Economics Chapter 6 Questions (MCQ, One-Word or Descriptive)

This page provides complete NCERT Class 11 Indian Economic Development Chapter 6 questions, including MCQs, one-word and descriptive questions. All questions are extracted line-by-line from NCERT for full syllabus coverage and exam preparation.

This chapter, Employment: Growth, Informalisation and Other Issues, examines the nature, structure, and quality of employment in India.

It defines workers as all those engaged in economic activities contributing to GNP, including self-employed, regular salaried employees, and casual wage labourers. During 2022-23, India had about 545 million workers, with rural workers constituting two-thirds of the total and men forming 77% of the workforce. The worker-population ratio (2023-24) is 43.7% overall : 45.6% in rural areas and 38.9% in urban areas. Female participation remains low, especially in urban areas (20.7%).

Self-employment is the dominant status (58% of workforce), followed by regular salaried (22%) and casual wage labour (20%). Sectorally, the primary sector still employs 46.1% of workers (down from 74.3% in 1972-73), while the service sector has grown to 29.8%.

The chapter highlights several critical trends. Jobless growth : GDP grew positively but employment growth declined after the 1990s, with a widening gap between GDP and employment growth. Casualisation increased from 23.2% (1972-73) to 31.8% (1993-94), though it declined to 19.9% by 2023-24.

Informalisation is massive : 89% of Indian workers are in the informal sector (unorganised sector) with no social security, regular income, or government protection. The Ahmedabad textile mill case study shows how 80,000 permanent workers lost jobs and were driven to poverty.

Unemployment takes multiple forms: open unemployment (visible job-seeking), disguised unemployment (more workers than needed, common in farms), and seasonal unemployment (no work during non-crop seasons). The MGNREGA (2005) guarantees 100 days of wage employment to rural households.

Government efforts are both direct (public sector employment) and indirect (stimulating private sector through public enterprise output). The chapter concludes that while the service sector is expanding and technology enables new work patterns (outsourcing, work-from-home), the quality of employment has deteriorated with limited social security, and governments must continue proactive employment generation, especially in rural areas.

Topics Covered:

Section A: Descriptive Questions

  1. Who is a worker? Page 94
  2. What is the worker-population ratio? Page 95
  3. According to Table 6.1, what was the total worker-population ratio in India in 2023-24? Page 95
  4. What is the difference between self-employed, regular salaried employees, and casual wage labourers? Page 96-97
  5. What is meant by “jobless growth”? Page 100-101
  6. What is casualisation of workforce? Page 102
  7. What is the difference between formal sector (organised sector) and informal sector (unorganised sector)? Page 103
  8. According to Chart 6.4, what was the number of formal sector workers in India in 2019-20? Page 104
  9. What percentage of Indian workers were in the informal sector in 2019-20? Page 104
  10. What is disguised unemployment? Page 107
  11. What is seasonal unemployment? Page 107-108
  12. What does the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) promise? Page 108
  13. What are the two broad categories of government efforts to generate employment? Page 108-109
  14. Describe the case study of informalisation in Ahmedabad (Box 6.2). Page 105
  15. How does the National Statistical Office define unemployment? Page 107
  16. What is open unemployment? Page 107
  17. According to Table 6.3, what was the percentage of workforce in the primary sector in 1972-73 versus 2023-24? Page 101-102
  18. According to Table 6.3, what was the percentage of casual wage labourers in 1972-73 versus 2023-24? Page 102

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Section B1: Objective MCQs

Page 94

During 2022-23, India had approximately how many million workers (workforce)?

A) 345 millionB) 445 millionC) 545 millionD) 645 million
View Answer
Correct Answer: 545 million
Reference: NCERT Page 94
Page 94-95

Rural workers constitute about what fraction of India’s total workforce?

A) One-thirdB) One-halfC) Two-thirdsD) Three-fourths
View Answer
Correct Answer: Two-thirds
Reference: NCERT Page 94-95
Page 95

What percentage of Indian workers are men?

A) 67%B) 77%C) 87%D) 57%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 77%
Reference: NCERT Page 95
Page 95

According to Table 6.1 (2023-24), what is the worker-population ratio for rural males?

A) 56.4B) 60.2C) 52.1D) 48.5
View Answer
Correct Answer: 56.4
Reference: NCERT Page 95
Page 95

According to Table 6.1 (2023-24), what is the worker-population ratio for urban females?

A) 34.8B) 20.7C) 30.7D) 25.1
View Answer
Correct Answer: 20.7
Reference: NCERT Page 95
Page 97

What percentage of India’s workforce is self-employed?

A) 58%B) 48%C) 68%D) 38%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 58%
Reference: NCERT Page 97
Page 97

What percentage of India’s workforce are casual wage labourers?

A) 30%B) 25%C) 20%D) 15%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 20%
Reference: NCERT Page 97
Page 97

What percentage of India’s workforce are regular salaried employees?

A) 22%B) 32%C) 18%D) 25%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 22%
Reference: NCERT Page 97
Page 98

In rural areas, what percentage of workers are self-employed according to Chart 6.2?

A) 65%B) 55%C) 45%D) 35%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 65%
Reference: NCERT Page 98
Page 99

According to Table 6.2 (2023-24), what percentage of rural workers are in the primary sector?

A) 49.80%B) 59.80%C) 39.80%D) 69.80%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 59.80%
Reference: NCERT Page 99
Page 99

According to Table 6.2 (2023-24), what percentage of urban workers are in the service sector?

A) 40.90%B) 50.90%C) 60.90%D) 70.90%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 60.90%
Reference: NCERT Page 99
Page 99

According to Table 6.2 (2023-24), what percentage of female workers are in the primary sector?

A) 44.40%B) 54.40%C) 64.40%D) 74.40%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 64.40%
Reference: NCERT Page 99
Page 100

During 1950-2010, employment growth in India was not more than what percentage?

A) 1%B) 2%C) 3%D) 4%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 2%
Reference: NCERT Page 100
Page 101

According to Chart 6.3, what was the GDP growth rate during 2000-2010 approximately?

A) 3-4%B) 4-5%C) 5-6%D) 6-7%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 6-7%
Reference: NCERT Page 101
Page 102

According to Table 6.3, in 2023-24, what percentage of workforce was in the secondary sector?

A) 20.10%B) 24.10%C) 28.10%D) 32.10%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 24.10%
Reference: NCERT Page 102
Page 103

According to Box 6.1, in 2012, out of about 30 million formal sector workers, how many were employed by the public sector?

A) 10 millionB) 14 millionC) 18 millionD) 22 million
View Answer
Correct Answer: 18 million
Reference: NCERT Page 103
Page 104

In 2011-12, what percentage of formal sector workers were women?

A) 10%B) 20%C) 25%D) 30%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 20%
Reference: NCERT Page 104
Page 104

In 2011-12, what percentage of informal sector workers were women?

A) 20%B) 25%C) 30%D) 35%
View Answer
Correct Answer: 30%
Reference: NCERT Page 104
Page 105

In the Ahmedabad case study (Box 6.2), approximately how many permanent workers lost their jobs due to textile mill closures?

A) 50,000B) 60,000C) 70,000D) 80,000
View Answer
Correct Answer: 80,000
Reference: NCERT Page 105
Page 107

One study conducted in the late 1950s showed what fraction of agriculture workers in India were disguisedly unemployed?

A) One-fourthB) One-thirdC) One-halfD) Two-thirds
View Answer
Correct Answer: One-third
Reference: NCERT Page 107

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Section B2: Factual One-Liners

What is the full form of GDP? Page 94

Reveal Answer
Gross Domestic Product (Page 94)

What is the full form of GNP? Page 94

Reveal Answer
Gross National Product (Page 94)

What is the full form of ILO? Page 105

Reveal Answer
International Labour Organisation (Page 105)

What is the full form of NSSO? Page 107

Reveal Answer
National Sample Survey Organisation (now National Statistical Office) (Page 107)

What is the full form of PLFS? Page 107

Reveal Answer
Periodic Labour Force Survey (Page 107)

What is the name of the weekly government publication that lists job vacancies? Page 112

Reveal Answer
Employment News (Page 112)

In which year was the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act passed? Page 108

Reveal Answer
2005 (Page 108)

What is the new name of MNREGA mentioned in the chapter? Page 96

Reveal Answer
Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) / VB-G RAM G (Page 96)

Name the city where 80,000 permanent textile mill workers lost jobs due to mill closures (Box 6.2). Page 105

Reveal Answer
Ahmedabad (Page 105)

According to Chart 6.4, how many crore workers were in the informal sector in 2019-20? Page 104

Reveal Answer
47.6 crore (approx. 476 million) (Page 104)

What is the term used when a worker cannot get employment for even one hour in half a day? Page 107

Reveal Answer
Unemployed (Page 107)

Which organisation collects information on formal sector employment through employment exchanges? Page 103

Reveal Answer
Union Ministry of Labour (Page 103)

According to Table 6.1 (2023-24), what is the total worker-population ratio in urban areas? Page 95

Reveal Answer
38.9 (Page 95)

Name the weekly newspaper published by the Government of India for job advertisements. Page 112

Reveal Answer
Employment News (Page 112)

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