World Labour Day: Rising E-Shram Registrations Highlights Informal Job Growth In Madhya Pradesh
· Free Press Journal
Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The number of registered unorganised workers in Madhya Pradesh continues to rise steadily, raising questions about the nature of employment growth in the state.
According to official data presented in Parliament, total registrations on e-Shram portal have reached 1.92 crore as of January 29, 2026. As the state marks Labour Day, the data suggests that the increase in registered workers may not necessarily indicate better employment opportunities, but rather a growing dependence on the informal economy for survival.
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Labour rights activists say the rising numbers on the portal reflect a different ground reality of increasing informalisation and job insecurity. They argue that weakened labour law enforcement has accelerated this trend. There is little monitoring at the ground level and with fewer inspections and limited enforcement powers, employers are increasingly relying on informal and contract workers.
Sudhir Katiyar, secretary of the Centre for Labour Research and Action, said the rising number of workers is directly linked to the expansion of the unorganised sector. The e-Shram portal captures informal workers. As formal employment shrinks and contract labour rises, more workers are getting registered. This is why the numbers are going up, he said.
He also pointed to increasing migration as a key factor. Workers from districts such as Jhabua, Alirajpur, Morena and Rewa are moving in large numbers to other states for low-paid work, especially in construction and manual labour. Migration has increased rapidly, but there is no reliable official data tracking it. Even the portal does not adequately capture migrant workers, he said.
Pramod Pradhan, a labour rights activist and general secretary of CPI(M), said the surge in registrations is largely due to the decline of permanent jobs. Across sectors, stable employment is being replaced by fixed-term and contract-based work. Workers are left with no option but to enter the informal system, he said.
He further alleged that recent labour policy changes have weakened worker protections. There is a visible shift towards longer working hours, reduced job security and weaker enforcement. Mechanisms that ensured compliance, like labour inspections, have been diluted, he added.
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Year-wise data shows a consistent increase over the past three years. In 2023, the number of registered workers stood at 1.73 crore, which rose to 1.84 crore in 2024, an increase of 10.25 lakh (5.90%). In 2025, registrations further climbed to 1.88 crore, adding 4.92 lakh workers (2.67%). Alongside this, Madhya Pradesh s share in total national registrations has also grown from 5.94% in 2023 to 6.11% in 2025, indicating a rising concentration of informal workers in the state.