Description

Quality of work or job quality is an issue of importance to many because of its potential impact on individual, firm and national well-being (UNECE, 2010; Findlay, Kalleberg, & Warhurst, 2013). Nobody wants bad working conditions for themselves, and all but a few would want to eradicate the worst forms of work and labour for others (UNECE, 2015). According to the European Union (EU) principle "more and better jobs", the employment agencies must help the unemployed to find not only a job, but a good job (Szeles, 2009). A good job depends on a large number of characteristics of one's work and working conditions, including: how much money and fringe benefits one receives from the job; the degree of job security; the extent to which jobs enable a person to use his/her skills and to develop further skills; the amount of flexibility allowed in working hours and schedules; and the degree to which workers are able to participate in decisions and to exercise autonomy and control over their work activities (Findlay et al., 2013). Good jobs can contribute not only to short- term individual well- being but also to longer- term collective benefits such as poverty reduction and productivity growth (Rodgers & Menon, 2013).

Decline of job quality negatively affects the standard of living and sustainability of economies (Szeles, 2009; Findlay et al., 2013). Improving job quality is another, related, challenge facing India as well as most advanced and emerging economies. In India, reducing informal work will contribute substantially to improving job quality (OECD, 2014). The 104th International Labour Conference (ILC) held at Geneva on June 2015 pointed out that more than half of the world's workforce is estimated to be trapped in the informal economy (ILO, 2015). In the developing region, between 45% and 90% of workers are in the informal economy. As per National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) data on "Informal Sector and Conditions of Employment in India" (NSS 68th Round 2011-2012), about 72% of the total workforce were employed in the informal sector and about 52% were self-employed. The proportion of self-employed was higher among the females (56%) than among the males (51%) (NSSO, 2014).