In high intensity pandemic periods during last two years the rising joblessness in social service sector has changed the working conditions for workers in Jammu & Kashmir like several states and union territories of the country. Unfortunately the joblessness in increasing and the generation of new employment opportunities is missing in social service sectors across Jammu & Kashmir. While the increasing economic stress has brought down the wage rates for workers, the increasing no of job hunters has reduced unprecedentedly the job opportunities for workers amid increasing economic stress in social service sectors. With private business houses continuing unabatedly the practice of reducing their staff, the job opportunities in almost all the private sectors are reducing with every passing day amid rising inflation in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country. Amid reducing joblessness and increasing economic stress most of the workers in social service sectors are not covered by the rights as per the existing labour laws as most of the workers are working in unorganised social service sectors in Jammu & Kashmir like many states and union territories of the country. As workers working on meager wages in unorganised social service sectors are finding themselves at the receiving end, most of them remain deprived of the rights which they could have availed under existing labour laws in Jammu and Kashmir . While in organised social service sectors the workers avail the benefits of minimum wages act, health insurance schemes and even some retirement benefits, no such rights are not unfortunately availed by workers in unorganised social service sectors in Jammu & Kashmir even under the existing labour laws in Jammu and Kashmir.
Restoration of the suspended operations of the units in social service sectors in Jammu & Kashmir won’t just reduce the intensity of the increasing joblessness but would also gradually release the increasing economic stress on workers in social service sectors.
While workers in unorganised social service sector have been also worst hit in recent years by demonetization, GST and increasing digitization, they don’t find alternative employment opportunities in social service sectors amid increasing economic stress triggered by back to back two covid lockdown in last two years. With rising economic stress forcing most of the business units in social service sector to shut down their operations in Jammu & Kashmir like other parts of the country the revival of the suspended operations by majority of the units in social service sectors is obviously the only way to reduce the increasing joblessness frustrating youth in Jammu & Kashmir. Restoration of the suspended operations of the units in social service sectors in Jammu & Kashmir won’t just reduce the intensity of the increasing joblessness but would also gradually release the increasing economic stress on workers in social service sectors.
