It’s Harder For Women To Rejoin The Workforce: EPFO Data

When it comes to rejoining the workforce, there is a vast gender disparity as more men than women are able to do so, according to Employees Provident Fund (EPF) data.

The payroll data shows that out of all people who rejoined the workforce in June, only 18.67 per cent were women. It was lesser at 18 and 17.7 per cent in April and May respectively. The data showed that comparatively, women joining the payroll for the first time had a better chance at the job market as 26.6 per cent of fresh subscribers to EPF in June were women.

The female ratio was the highest in the age group of above 35 years at 31.29 per cent and lowest in the 18 to 25 age group at 23.47 per cent. The total inclusion of women in net payroll remained low at 22.08 per cent in June, calculating the new additions, the exits and rejoiners.

In a recent conference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi upheld the importance of facilities such as remote working and flexible timings in elevating women’s participation in the workforce. “The need of the hour is flexible workplaces, a work-from-home ecosystem and flexible work hours. We can utilise systems like a flexible workplace as an opportunity to increase women’s labour force participation. By making the right use of women power, India can achieve its goals faster,” the PM had said.

India’s female workforce participation remains one of the lowest in the world. Economists believe it has gone down to nine per cent in 2022. Meanwhile, in other developing countries such as Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, it is at 35 and 31 per cent respectively.

The data also shows that more women than men are earning less than ₹15000 per month, which is the minimum wage required to enrol in an EPF.