Recent trends of employment in the forestry and logging sector of India: Evidence from unit-level data of periodic labour force survey (PLFS)

The paper examines the recent trends of employment in forestry and logging in India using the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The study finds consistent growth in forestry and logging employment during the study period, which is more pronounced in the COVID-19 years and among female workers. Among the sub-groups of forestry and logging, logging activity generates half of the total workers in forestry and logging, with female workers entering the gathering of firewood subgroup in large numbers, reflecting a structural retrogression in forest employment. Silviculture activities are the next component that generates the second-highest employment, followed by the gathering of non-wood forest products, with the gathering of tendu leaves having the highest percentage. Interstate and inter-regional variation is observed in forestry employment, with tribal-dominated states and the Himalayan states having a comparatively high percentage of forest employment as a proportion of total agricultural employment. At the same time, a negative growth rate of forest employment is also witnessed in tribal-dominated regions. Examining the employment type, there is a high level of informality in forest employment, as evidenced by a significant proportion of self-employed and casual labor, with a higher incidence among female workers. The employment elasticity of the forestry and logging sector in most states has room for improvement. Strong economic fundamentals, such as social sector investment and rural literacy, are positively impacting forest employment. Improving the market access of forest products, especially NTFPs, and fostering strong forest-industry linkages, along with enhancing social security measures for informal workers in forestry employment, will help realize the full potential of the forestry sector in generating sustainable and productive employment.