DIFFERENTIAL OUTPUT ELASTICITY OF EMPLOYMENT DURING POST-ECONOMIC REFORM PERIOD IN THE INDIAN ECONOMY

This paper investigates the sign and size of the differential output elasticity of employment for different industries in the private and public organized sectors of the Indian economy during post-economic reform period. A logarithmic form of demand function for employment, derived from the constant elasticity of substitution production function is estimated. An interaction variable is introduced after having ensured that the employment function has a structural shift by Chow break test. The results based on the time series data from the period 1969-1970 to 2004-2005, show that the positive magnitude of elasticity of employment with respect to output in transport, storage and communications industry is relatively very high, as the differential output elasticity of employment is not only positive but also more than unity followed by wholesale and retail trade and financing, insurance and real estate industries in the private organized sector during the post-economic reform period. This reflects the fact that the labor absorption capacity in the industries of transport, storage and communications, wholesale and retail, financing, insurance and real estate is relatively high. The magnitude of output elasticity of employment in financing, insurance and real estate is relatively high during the post-economic reform period as the differential output elasticity of employment is relatively small as compared to output elasticity of employment during the pre-economic reform period. The labor absorption capacity in private sector during the post-reform period is found to be relatively high as compared to public sector as the differential employment elasticity during the post-reform period in private sector is low. Further the results for the organized sector as a whole illustrate that the output elasticity of employment during the post-reform period is negative on account of negative differential output elasticity of employment showing that the economic growth during the post-reform period is not labor intensive in the Indian economy. Therefore, there is a need to review the sectoral policies to generate additional employment opportunities in the organised sector of the Indian economy.