Skilled and Unskilled labour in Himachal Pradesh :

Progressive reduction of unemployment and creation of employment opportunities has been one of the principle objectives of economic planning ever since the plan effort was undertaken in Himachal Pradesh.

Expansion of employment opportunities is a sine qua non to cover the backlog of unemployment and alsoto provide additional employmentto the new entrants in the labour market. While approaching employment as an objective ofthe plan employment generation and economic growth are to be treated as complementary than conflicting process.

The mainstay of people of Himachal Pradesh is agriculture on which 66.71 % population depends. The topography being mostly hilly, the cultivation is mostly done in tarraced way and about 80 % of the total holdings fall in the category of small and marginal farmers. The total unemployment picture at national levelis therefor significantly differed from the one obtained in Himachal in view of latter’s intrinsic rural nature. As such the employment strategy is slightly different from the overall national perspective and also more biased towardsintensive expansion ofemployment opportunities in rural sector.

Despite the increase in secondary school and college enrollment , Himachal Pradesh is constrained by low employability of its school and college graduates. Like in other states of India, general education at the school and college levelis weakand not adequately aligned to the need of market. The challenge of educated unemployment is growing. Those who are school dropouts , 90 %of Himachal workforce has not received any formal skill training. Consequently dependency on govt. jobs remains high.In 2014, 65 %of organized sector employment in Himachal Pradesh was in public sector.This is unsustainable and economically unproductive.

It is estimated that net demand for skilled workers in Himachal Pradeshwill amount to 515,557 between 2017and 2022 acrossvarious trades such as retail , tourism, health care, torism , hospitality and information technology. The state has a narrow demographic window until 2022, after which the share of working agepopulation( 15 – 59 years ) will begin to decline.

In 2016, Govt. of Himachal Pradesh approved the Himachal Pradesh Skills development policy ( Him Kaushal ), 2016 to guide the reform and reforming up of skillsdevelopment efforts in the state. This project will add value by supportingvocational and livelihooddevelopment opportunities to 65000 needy youth over 2017 – 2022, expanding Himachal Pradeshtraining capacity by 13000 and extending the reach of quality training facilities and counseling services to the far areas of the state.

Himachal Pradesh department of Labour and employment :

The Department came into being as a separate Department in 1972. Its activities can be divided broadly into two wings pertaining to Labour and Employment. 

Labour wing is responsible for the implementation of 28 Labour Laws (Central & State) with a view to establishing and maintaining peace in the Industrial Establishments. Under the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act 1947, Labour Courts-cum-Industrial Tribunals have been set up at Shimla & Dharamsala to decide industrial disputes. Under the Factories Act,1948, registration and renewal of factories licenses is done as also ensuring safety of workers. 

Employment wing is responsible for Registration, Sponsoring and giving Vocational Guidance to the interested candidates and collection of Employment Market Information, as per provisions of the Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959 and Persons with Disabilities Act (Equal opportunities, Protections of Rights and Full Participation) Act, 1995.