The months of June and July 2022 were even more striking with new women subscribers rising to over 0.3 million and 0.31 million, respectively.
More women seem to be joining the formal sector workforce in recent years. The percentage of new women subscribers to the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) has risen from about 21% of all new members in 2018-19 to 26.5% in April-October this fiscal. Anecdotal evidence also supports the trend.
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Of the 13.9 million first-time subscribers to the EPFO in 2018-19, over 2.92 million were women. While the number of women subscribers dropped in subsequent years in line with the fewer entrants to the scheme, it has been picking up again since 2020-21, with the current fiscal showing sharper growth. Of the 7.13 million new subscribers between April and October 2022, 1.89 million were women.
The months of June and July 2022 were even more striking with new women subscribers rising to over 0.3 million and 0.31 million, respectively.
The numbers, though small, are still significant given the low female worker population in the country. The Periodic Labour Force Survey has indicated that labour force participation for women has improved to 21.7% in the July-September 2022 quarter from 19.9% in the same period last fiscal.
The EPFO data indicates that new female subscribers are joining more at the entry level in the age groups of 18-21 and 22-25. For instance, of the nearly 0.2 million first-time women subscribers in October 2022, about 0.1 million were in the ages between 18 and 25 years.
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The EPFO data does not provide industry-wise data on male and female subscribers. However, experts suggest that segments like telecom and EV manufacturing are seen to be hiring a large number of women. Retail is another segment where more women workers are hired.
Mahesh Bhatt, chief business officer, TeamLease Services, also noted that the data indicates that more women are getting job opportunities at the entry level. “Entry-level jobs are being offered to women across sectors. In some manufacturing sectors, over 60% of the workers are women,” he said, adding that many companies have realised that women tend to be more reliable and responsible workers.
From the month of April 2018, the EPFO has been releasing payroll data covering the period September 2017 onwards, based on the Aadhaar-validated Universal Account Number.
