Conditions of Employment and Livelihood Security of Informal Workers: A Study of Four Villages in Jalpaiguri District, West Bengal

The article analyses the conditions of employment of informal workers in four different villages with varying livelihood opportunities. Based on the secondary database, it argues that the labor market is characterized by widespread unemployment, and there has been an increase in the share of marginal workers over the years in the study villages, as well as in rural Jalpaiguri. The analysis of primary data reveals that tea cultivation and agriculture were main sources of employment of informal workers; however, these did not provide livelihood security. The wage rate was lower than the legally prescribed minimum wage in West Bengal. Also, the workers, most of whom were either Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, did not receive year-round employment in the study villages. In the absence of remittances from the migrant workers, a substantial number of households were poor. The research shows that informal wage work in the study area was insufficient for a decent level of living. The article argues that agrarian changes in the study area did not lead to desirable outcomes for substantial sections of the population.