India's workforce at risk amid a lockdown

Agricultural sector employs the highest number of people in India. It's estimated that agriculture employs close to 20.5 per cent people. Most of them are self employed (73 per cent) followed by casual labour (26 per cent). The vulnerability of agriculture sector in a lockdown situation is low as it is an essential activity.

Services sector which employs over 14.5 crore people has medium vulnerability to a lockdown situation. In services, more than half of the workforce is salaried or get regular wages for their work while 435 are self-employed.

As per CRISIL, India's industries employ close to 11.53 crore people and this is the sector which is highly vulnerable to a lockdown. 48 per cent workforce in industry are casual labour while only 26 per cent are regular wage earners.

Services such as information and communication, financial and insurance, real estate, administrative activities etc employ 6.59 crore people. Most of their workforce (75 per cent) is regular salaried people while 21 per cent are self employed. The vulnerability of a lockdown on such activities is medium as per CRISIL.

India's manufacturing sector is a source of livelihood for 5.64 crore people. Over 42 per cent of the workforce involved in manufacturing is self employed while a similar number of people are regular wage earners. As per CRISIL the vulnerability of manufacturing in a lockdown scenario is high.

India's construction sector employs 5.43 crore people, of which only 5.55 per cent are salaried while a massive 83.7 per cent are casual workers and only 10.85 per cent are self-employed. The vulnerability of construction sector is also high.

Trade is a source of livelihood for 4.69 crore people in India. 70.6 per cent of which are self employed while 25.5 per cent are salaried people and only 3.7 per cent are casual workers. As per CRISIL, trade sector has medium vulnerability in a lockdown.

2.29 crore people deriving their livelihood from transport, of which 44 per cent are self employed and another 43 per cent are regular wage earners. With a lockdown completely halting the transport sector, the livelihood of many is on the line as the vulnerability of the sector is classified as high by CRISIL.

Accommodation and food services employ over 87 lakh people across India. In a lockdown scenario the vulnerability of this sector is classified as high. 58 per cent people in this sector are self employed while another 32 per cent are salaried/regular wage earners.

Since electricity and water are essential services the vulnerability of these is low in a lockdown scenario. It employs 27 lakh people of which 78 per cent are salary/regular wage earners while 15.8 per cent are self employed and only 6 per cent are casual workers.

Mining and Quarrying sector has medium vulnerability in a lockdown scenario, putting 19 lakh jobs at risk. 50 per cent of the workforce in mining and quarrying is regular wage earners while a massive 43 per cent are casual workers.