New Delhi: Employment in India’s unincorporated non-agricultural sector saw a modest, yet resilient, rise in the July-September quarter, according to data from the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) released on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
The latest quarterly estimates show that the number of unincorporated establishments edged up to about 7.97 crore in the July-September quarter, from 7.94 crore in the April-June period, a marginal gain but building on a sharp increase from the previous annual estimate of roughly 7.34 crore establishments for 2023-24.<\/p>\n
Employment in the sector stood at approximately 12.86 crore, a slight increase from the prior quarter yet noticeably higher than the more than 12 crore workers reported in the 2023\u201324 annual survey.<\/p>\n
The data, drawn from the National Statistics Office\u2019s latest Quarterly Bulletin on Unincorporated Sector Enterprises, underscores the sector\u2019s resilience at a time of uncertain global trade and economic pressures, the MoSPI survey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cDespite global challenges and trade uncertainties, the unincorporated sector stayed afloat during the July\u2013September quarter,\u201d it added.<\/p>\n
Subtle, meaningful shifts<\/p>\n
Beyond the headline figures, the bulletin signals subtle and meaningful shifts in the sector\u2019s composition.<\/p>\n
Internet use among enterprises increased steadily, rising to 39% in July\u2013September from 36% in the previous quarter, indicating an acceleration in digital adoption, even among small, often informal operators.<\/p>\n
Also Read<\/strong> | Engineering graduates face fewer IT jobs as automation reshapes hiring<\/a><\/p>\n The recovery in unincorporated manufacturing stood out as both establishment counts and employment shares improved, with manufacturing\u2019s share of establishments rising to 27% from 26% and its share of employment to 28% from 26% over the quarter. Women also continued to form a substantial portion of the workforce, accounting for nearly 29% of total employment during the latest quarter.<\/p>\n The quarterly release of data for the unincorporated sector is part of a broader push by official statisticians to provide higher\u2011frequency data on India\u2019s vast informal economy.<\/p>\n Urban workforce<\/strong><\/p>\n However, the quarterly bulletin serves as a more frequent complement to the annual survey of the same segment, which was introduced to provide policymakers and researchers with timely insights into short-term movements.<\/p>\n Urban employment also increased, with the urban workforce rising to about 6.91 crore from 6.61 crore in the previous quarter, indicating greater labour absorption in cities.<\/p>\n \u201cMany unincorporated manufacturing units depend on casual labour, migrant workers, and helpers who often shift to seasonal agricultural work in the preceding quarter and return when manufacturing activity strengthens, leading to a rise in employment rather than in the number of establishments,\u201d the MoSPI survey said. A total of 5,880 first-stage units were covered by MoSPI for the July\u2013September 2025 survey round, comprising 2,419 villages and 3,461 urban blocks, according to the ministry.<\/p>\n