When Growth Doesn’t Reach Workers — The Hidden Stress in India’s Labour Market
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When Growth Doesn’t Reach Workers — The Hidden Stress in India’s Labour Market
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About this listen
In this episode, journalist and author Puja Mehra speaks with Rosa Abraham, economist and one of the authors of the State of Working India 2026 report, about the growing stress in India’s labour market, highlighted by recent worker protests in Noida. They discuss why even formal sector jobs are no longer guaranteeing wage growth, with real earnings stagnating—and in some cases declining—over the past decade.
Abraham explains how this is not a cyclical slowdown but a deeper structural issue, driven by weak productivity, misallocation of capital, and the absence of a strong small and mid-sized enterprise base (crucial sector that invests in workers). They also examine why higher education is failing to translate into better jobs, leaving many young graduates unemployed or underemployed.
Are current policies missing the bigger picture? What does this mean for India’s demographic dividend?
Tune in for a sharp look at why economic growth isn’t reaching workers—and the risks of ignoring it.
CHAPTERS
(00:00) Introduction
(00:14) Worker Protests in Noida
(01:20) Stagnant Wages in India
(02:30) Falling Graduate Salaries
(04:27) What Low Wage Growth Reflects
(07:39) Why Minimum Wages Aren’t Enforced
(08:31) Youth Unemployment Explained
(12:01) India’s Demographic Dividend at Risk
(15:00) Demand vs Supply Side Problem
(18:16) Is It a Mindset Problem?
(20:28) Role of Public vs Private Sector
(22:09) Fixing the Jobs Ecosystem
(23:58) Risks of Inaction
(27:06) No Easy Solutions
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