India - Employment and Unemployment : NSS 66th round, Schedule 10, July 2009 - June 2010

This column is meant for recording the reason for break in or termination of the last job held by the persons. These reasons are coded as follows:

loss of earlier job -1, quit earlier job -2, lay-off without pay -3, unit has closed down -4, lack of work in the enterprise (for self-employed persons) -5, lack of work in the area (for casual labour) -6, others -9.

The appropriate reason has to be identified through suitable probes. Loss of earlier job will include cases where person is removed from service or work due to temporary nature of work contract, on disciplinary grounds, retrenchment, retirement and all such involuntary breaks other than those covered under codes 3, 4 or 6. Quit earlier job (code 2) will be applicable for persons who have left the job on their own volition, may be owing to compelling circumstances. (The reason for doing so will be further recorded in column 10). Lay-off is defined as 'failure/refusal/inability of an employer to give employment to a workman whose name is borne on the master rolls and who has not been retrenched'. Those laid-off with some pay are treated as employed. Those laid-off without any pay will be considered as unemployed and for such persons code 3 will be given. If the unit in which the person was working has closed down due to lack of demand, difficulties in running the unit or any other reason and consequently person is thrown out of employment, code 4 will be applicable. For those who were self-employed and are now out of job as there is lack of work in the enterprise due to fall in demand, scarcity of raw materials, etc., code 5 will be recorded. Persons who are engaged as self-employed in the seasonal enterprises and are unemployed during the off season owing to lack of work in the enterprise will also be given code 5. However, if such an enterprise is closed down permanently, applicable code will be 4 and not 5. For those employed as casual workers and are out of work as there is no work in his/her area, code 6 will be given. This should be distinguished from those casual labours employed in enterprises with some regularity and coming under reasons 1, 2, 3 or 4. Thus, one of the reasons should be identified in a sequential manner starting with reason code 1. Rea­sons which cannot be coded in 1 to 6 will be given code 9.