At 78%, Telangana district Nirmal on top in women's share in informal workers, Pg15

Key Highlights:

• Nirmal district in Telangana leads nationally with 78% of its informal workers being women.
• Data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) reveals significant regional disparities in women's participation in the informal workforce.
• The top 10 districts with the highest share of women in informal work are primarily from South India or the North-East.
• The all-India average for women's share in the informal workforce stands at 29%.

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Detailed Insights:

• Nanded district in Maharashtra, bordering Nirmal, ranks significantly lower with only 31% women in its informal workforce.
• Uttarakhand's Rudraprayag district has the lowest female participation, with only 6.7% of its informal workers being women.
• Despite high participation, women in districts with a greater female informal workforce often receive lower emoluments compared to the national average.
• The data is derived from the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) of 2025, marking the first release of district-level estimates from a national survey.
• Districts with high women's participation, such as Nirmal, also show a high percentage of women-owned proprietary establishments.
• The report provides granular data for 757 districts, which is crucial for evidence-based policymaking in the unincorporated non-agricultural sector.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Informal Workers: Individuals engaged in economic activities that are not regulated or protected by formal labor laws.
• Unincorporated Sector Enterprises: Businesses not registered as separate legal entities, typically small-scale and operating in the informal sector.
• Gross Value Added (GVA): A measure of the value of goods and services produced in an area, minus the cost of intermediate inputs.
• Proprietary Establishments: Businesses owned and operated by a single individual, without a separate legal identity.