The demand for Indian drivers abroad appears to be on the rise while those of masons and carpenters are on the decline, if one goes by the statistics of skilled and unskilled workers with an education qualification less than Class X who need emigration clearance.
Overall, there is a decline in the total number of skilled and unskilled workers leaving India for jobs in the past three years -- from 3.91 lakh in 2017 to 3.68 lakh in 2019. In 2018, the figure was 3.40 lakh.
According to the Emigration Act 1983, Emigration Check Required (ECR) categories of Indian passport holders require to obtain "Emigration Clearance" from the office of Protector of Emigrants (POE) for going to 18 countries, including the Gulf, Malaysia, Jordan, Yemen, Sudan, Afghanistan and Syria, for a job. Those who have not passed Class X fall under ECR category.
Uttar Pradesh tops the list with 1.16 lakh workers leaving India for work in these 18 countries followed by Bihar (55,423), Rajasthan (28,982) and Tamil Nadu (27,783). UP has seen a massive jump last year compared to 86,273 workers leaving for abroad in 2018 while Bihar, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu have seen a decrease. Karnataka saw an increase from 5,231 to 5,316 during this period.
According to the Ministry of Labour and Employment statistics, the number of masons who went abroad declined by half to 26,450 last year compared to 52,883 in 2017.
Similarly, the demand for carpenters declined by more than half -- 41,588 in 2017 to 28,188 in 2018 and 17,370 last year.
At the same time, the number of different categories of drivers, including those engaged with private persons, rose by almost three times from 23,526 in 2017 to 70,673 last year. In 2018, according to the statistics placed by the Ministry in Parliament during the just concluded Monsoon Session, it was 25,195.
While the number of general labourers has increased, the number of labourers, plumbers, painters, welders, fitters and other technicians leaving India for jobs abroad has declined considerably.
Ginu Zacharia Oommen, an expert on international migration and Kerala Public Service Commission member, attributed the decline in demand for Indian workers to the recession followed by fluctuation in oil prices. "Also, several construction projects have declined. Diversification of the economy to non-oil sectors also contributed to this change," he told DH.
Asked how the job market looks like in the coming days as the world economy is ravaged by the Covid-19 pandemic Oommen said the impact would be "very drastic" and workers are unlikely to return soon.
Workers who left India to notified Emigration Check Required (ECR) countries for jobs:
| 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | Total | |
| Uttar Pradesh | 1,16,251 | 86,273 | 88,450 | 2,90,974 |
| Bihar | 55,423 | 59,181 | 69,426 | 1,84,030 |
| Rajasthan | 28,982 | 30,272 | 32,184 | 91,438 |
| Tamil Nadu | 27,783 | 31,588 | 38,341 | 97,712 |
| Karnataka | 5,316 | 4,267 | 5,231 | 14,814 |
| TOTAL (All States) | 3,68,048 | 3,40,157 | 3,91,024 | 10,99,229 |
Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment in Lok Sabha