Flexible labour laws will help both organized, unorganized sector: Kaushik Basu

06 Nov 2012 Evaluate

In an attempt to perk investments and bring economic growth back to sustained high levels, World Bank Chief Economist Kaushik Basu has advised India to amend labour laws to provide flexibility to companies dealing with changes in demand pattern, a move that will also boost employment, especially in the organized sector.

The former chief economic adviser in the finance ministry opined that India's rigid labour laws have hurt its growth, and recommended relaxation of legal environment to create much demand for workers. He pointed out that various reforms in labour laws has been stuck since long, awaiting Parliamentary approval and superabundance of labour laws in India dealing with trade unions, provident funds, industrial disputes and industrial establishments also has resulted shrink in demand in the labour market.

India's financial growth rate had registered a nine-year low of 6.5% in 2011-12. In the quarter one of the current financial year, the economic growth had trimmed to 5.5%, while Reserve Bank also projected that the economy might grow only by 5.8% in 2012-13.

Basu further noted that manufacturing jobs are gradually moving from developed countries to developing economies, while stressing that indulging in protectionism will curtail growth of industrial countries.

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