Participation of women in country’s workforce increased to 37%: Pradhan

Women’s participation in the country’s workforce has increased to 37 per cent by 2022-23, Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday.

Speaking at the ‘Rozgar Mela’ here, Pradhan said the figure stood at 23 percent in 2017-18.

“There is balanced growth in society as women’s participation in the labor market has increased,” he said, adding that women work harder than men.

The Narendra Modi government’s women-oriented programs have helped increase women’s participation in the labor market, he said.

The Center is prioritizing women in policy making and leadership roles, he said, maintaining that the Prime Minister has emphasized on the need to uplift women in the country.

There is a need to educate women to increase the country’s workforce, he said, stressing the importance of reskilling and upskilling working women to adapt them to changing technologies.

Pradhan also said that the unemployment rate in the country has fallen from 6 percent in 2017-18 to 3.7 percent in 2022-2023.

During the programme, the minister distributed appointment letters from various central organizations such as railways and India Post to 172 people.

During a similar program in Cuttack, Union MoS for Tribal Affairs Bishweswar Tudu distributed appointment letters to 114 people.