Vinod Anand

EMPLOYMENT has many connotations. This write-up focuses on one new connotation. Before we do that let us briefly see what employment means and how it is measured?

Employment can not simply be defined as the number of people with jobs. Such a wide definition would also include children are who are too young to work and all those who choose to take up paid employment. In fact, employment refers to all those people who are willing and able to work, and are able to find work. Employment, therefore, is used in the sense of voluntary employment rather that involuntary decision on the part of someone to choose to work rather than go for leisure.

It is not easy to measure employment. On the other hand, it is easier to measure unemployment. Once we measure unemployment it has to be subtracted from the total work force, and we come to know the total number of employed people. Unemployment is measured differently in different countries. For example, in U.K. ‘the number of people unemployed is measured for official purposes as the number of people claiming unemployment benefits, income support or national insurance credits at Unemployment Benefit Offices on the day of the monthly count, who on that day were unemployed and willing and able to do any suitable work.

This official definition of the unemployment rate in the U.K. is given by the number of the unemployed claimants expressed as a percentage of the estimated total work force (which composes all employees in employment, the self-employed, HM Forces, participants in work-related government training programmes, and the unemployed claimants)’. There is another measure of unemployment in the U.K. which is provided by the Annual Labour Force Survey.

This measure is as per the internationally agreed definition recommended by the International Labour Organisation: ‘This refers to the people without jobs in the Annual Labour Force Survey who were available to start work within the next two weeks, and who had either looked for work in the four weeks before the survey or were waiting to start a job.’ However, such a measure is subject to sampling errors. Such measurement is also used in other developing countries. In developing countries the measurements are different. For example, in India we have normally three estimates of unemployment. These are:
• The Usual Status: This determines the usual activity status- employed, or unemployed or outside the labour force- of those covered by the survey;
• The weekly Status: This determines the activity status of a person with reference to a period of preceding seven days;
• The Daily Status: This determines the activity status of a person for each day of the preceding seven days.

Out of these three concepts of unemployment, the daily status concept provides the most appropriate measure of unemployment.

Employment is linked with income, output and recognition. It generates income; it adds to production, and it offers social recognition. If it is not so, then it is regarded as illegitimate or immoral employment. There are two interesting offshoots of this:
(1) Legitimate employment may lead to illegitimate activities (like rent- seeking and directly unproductive profit seeking activities); (2) Illegitimate employment may lead to legitimate activities (like charity, and helping the poor). There is no end to this discussion.

Let us now talk of the new connotation which is of crucial importance for most of the countries, but despite this it is fully ignored. This relates to the cause of employment and nothing else. This connotation is briefly described below.

When we talk of employment in economics, it implies “positive” employment in the sense that it emerges from positive reasons like spread of quality education, effective health and other social services, various goods and services as demanded by the people, and so on. On the other hand, there is a large segment of employment that arises to provide safeguards against, terrorism, anarchy, riots, thefts, robbery, mugging, nefarious activities, low quality education in recognized institutions, and overall lack of public responsibility and poor governance on the part of the government and administrators, which has five basic elements: free market, the rule of law, political accountability, social justice, and education. Besides all these political instability is also responsible for creating “negative” employment. The degree of political instability cannot be measured directly. It depends on a number of factors like,

political upheavals;
riots, strikes and lockouts;
crime and (political) assassinations;
coups and change of power;
infighting amongst political parties;
scams including rent-seeking and directly unproductive profit seeking activities;
lack of people's faith in the government;
poverty and income disparities

When the governance fails in various ways as described above, it forces the government to create “negative” employment to provide necessary safeguards to provide peace and tranquility in the country. This is well exemplified by looking at the excessive police force, traffic personnel, security guards, and also a large number of coaching institutes all over. People who are employed in these services do contribute to the society in various ways, but they are employed because of negative reasons. Such employment is, therefore, termed as “negative” employment. In economics we always talk of positive things. For example, income connotes the idea of legally and morally earned income, and not all other kinds of income like “unearned” income. Likewise, employment connotes just “positive” employment. It does not in any way imply “negative” employment. A large number of employed people in India, and may be in other countries as well, are employed because of various reasons as mentioned above, and hence they add to what we have termed as “negative” employment.

The lesson to be learnt from this write-up is that the Government should focus on good governance, optimal political stability, peace and security (both internal and external) to reduce the quantum of “negative” employment in the country. Once, we have only “positive” employment, we will be termed as a shining country. Let us pray that all this happens.

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No longer city of Nawabs

L K Verma

THE historical city of Lucknow is situated on the banks of the river Gomti. It is famous for its hospitality, cuisines and 'Shaam-e-Awadh' world over. At present Lucknow is the capital of Uttar Pradesh, the largest state in India. Earlier it was the capital of former Awadh state from year 1775 to 1856. During the leadership of the Nawabs of Awadh many cultural activities like literature, dance, music flourished here and it became the cultural hub of north India. Due to its legendary hospitality, leisurely moods of life it is called the city of Tehzeeb (cultural refinement).

Lucknow is also called the ‘Golden city of the east’ and is popularly known as the city of Nawabs and Kababs. Like other metro cities Lucknow is also developing at fast pace and is emerging as a modern city. But with the modernisation, it has not forgotten its old culture. The past glory and history of the city has been still retained here.

During last three centuries many historical buildings have been built in Lucknow. Now these have become the major attraction for the visitors. The famous buildings which attract the visitors include Bara Imambara (Bhulbhulaiya), Chhota Imambara also known as Husainabad Imambara, The Residency, Rumi Darwaza, Sikandar Bagh.

Bara Imambara also called Bhulbhulaiya, which was built by Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula in the year 1784, when the entire region was affected by a famine. To manage the situation, Nawab Asaf-ud-Daula offered ‘food for work’. For this purpose he employed more than 20,000 people. He adopted a dual policy of construction to offer food for all. During the day, the Imambara was built, and at night, the workers destroyed parts of what had been built. This was to ensure that no one should remain unemployed, and the construction was not completed too soon. The biggest attraction of this building complex is the Bhulbhulaiya, where you will get confused between different passages.

Another building of attraction is the Residency. It is a group of British buildings which served as headquarters of the British Resident in the state of Awadh as the region around Lucknow was known back in early 19th century. During 1857 revolt, the complex was attacked by mutineers and taken over by the Indian soldiers. The Residency is situated at the centre of the city, in the Hazratgunj area.

As Lucknow is famous for its gardens and buildings, it is also famous for its Chicken work (type of embroidery) world over. If you ever get a chance to visit this historical city, you will enjoy watching its old buildings, cultural activities and above all 'Shaam-e-Awadh'.

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