New Delhi: According to a recent analysis of Public Enterprises Survey reports spanning from 2012-13 to 2021-22, Central public sector enterprises (CPSEs) in India have experienced a dual challenge of job reduction and a surge in contractual employment. The survey, which encompasses PSUs, certain statutory corporations, and their subsidiaries with over 50 percent equity held by the central government, reveals a decline in employment figures from 17.3 lakh in March 2013 to 14.6 lakh in March 2022. Out of the 389 PSUs covered in the survey, 248 are currently operational.
The reduction in total jobs by over 2.7 lakh is accompanied by a notable shift in employment dynamics. In March 2013, contract workers constituted 17 percent of the total workforce, while casual/daily workers accounted for 2.5 percent. However, by 2022, the share of contract workers increased to 36 percent, and the share of casual/daily workers rose to 6.6 percent. Consequently, a combined total of 42.5 percent of PSU employees in March 2022 were categorised as contractual or casual workers, in contrast to 19 percent in March 2013.
An examination of individual companies demonstrates that seven PSUs experienced reductions in employment exceeding 20,000 over the past decade. Leading the list is BSNL, which witnessed a reduction of approximately 1.8 lakh jobs. Following closely behind are Steel Authority of India Limited and MTNL, both reporting over 30,000 job losses during this period.
Interestingly, the companies reporting job losses encompass both profit-making and loss-making PSUs. Notably, BSNL and MTNL feature among the top ten loss-making PSUs in 2021-22, while Air India has undergone privatisation. The list also includes SAIL and ONGC, both of which appear among the highest profit-making PSUs in 2021-22, suggesting that job losses are not exclusively linked to losses incurred by central government units.
Regarding PSUs that generated the most employment, Indian Oil Corporation leads the way with the addition of approximately 80,000 jobs in the past ten years. Furthermore, ten PSUs each added over 10,000 jobs during the review period, while 13 PSUs reduced their workforce by over 10,000 each.
Dispelling the prevailing misconception that most PSUs are burdened with losses, the aggregate profit of profit-making enterprises stood at Rs 2.6 lakh crore, while the aggregate loss of those in the red amounted to Rs 1.5 lakh crore. These figures challenge the notion that most PSUs have become unproductive entities.
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