#JobGrowthTracking: 100 million workers' details to be linked to Aadhaar
The Central government is planning on linking the details of about 100 million workers with Aadhaar to establish a reliable system to track job growth in the country. Additionally, Aadhaar linking may also streamline and improve service delivery for pensions, provident fund etc. The move comes ahead of the 2019 elections, where job growth is expected to be a key issue. Here's more.
EPFO, ESIC are linking subscriber details with Aadhaar
As reported by the Mint, the Employees Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), which has an active subscriber base of 60 million workers, has asked its 120-plus regional offices to pursue Aadhaar linking on a priority basis. Similarly, the Employees State Insurance Corp (ESIC), which provides healthcare facilities to 40 million industrial workers, is also linking Aadhaar with subscriber details.
The problem of double-counting in recording job growth data
For those unaware, the EPFO and the ESIC are the two key sources that help in tracking job growth in India's formal sector. However, currently, only 35% of employees under the EPFO and the ESIC have their details linked with Aadhaar, thereby allowing for double-counting or overlaps in recording job growth data. Without a system to eliminate the overlaps, accurate data cannot be generated.
Lots of criticism surrounding the inaccuracy of job growth data
"The monthly payroll data being released since April this year is facing a constant criticism—that it's not accurate and suffers from duplication. Once you seed all the beneficiaries with Aadhaar you may be able to find a solution to this problem," an official told Mint.
Job growth has not kept pace with workforce growth
In India, around 12 million people join the workforce every year, but job growth has failed to keep pace - a fact that has been highlighted multiple times by international agencies such as World Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Understandably, thus, job growth has become a key issue, and employment regularly features as an important electoral promise in India.
