QUESTION 11
GS3
15 marks
“Economic growth in the recent past has been led by increase in labour productivity.” Explain this statement. Suggest the growth pattern that will lead to creation of more jobs without compromising labour productivity.
WRITE IN
11 min
250 words
What the examiner wants
Explain why recent growth has come from higher labour productivity rather than more jobs, and suggest a growth pattern that adds jobs without hurting productivity.
ExplainMake clear how and why it happens: causes, process, and an example for each point.
Demand-wise check
- 1Meaning: output per worker rose through capital deepening, technology and services; employment elasticity fell ('jobless growth')≈65 words
- 2Evidence: growth led by capital-intensive and skill-intensive sectors (IT, finance), slow shift of workers out of farming≈65 words
- 3Job-rich growth pattern: labour-intensive manufacturing (textiles, food processing, leather, toys, electronics assembly), MSMEs, construction, tourism, care economy; skilling; easing labour rules; agro-processing≈65 words
Open in about 30 words and close in about 30.
Answer plan
Explain the statementEvidenceWhy it limits jobsJob-rich growth patternKeeping productivity highConclusion
Where marks usually go
- Explaining the statement but not suggesting a growth pattern
- Suggesting job creation through low-productivity work, which the question rules out
Draw this
- Sector matrix: high productivity/low jobs vs high productivity/high jobs, with target sectors
Value addition
- ConceptEmployment elasticity of growth measures how much employment rises with 1% GDP growth; it fell in India in the 2000s and 2010s.RBI KLEMS database / ILO
- SchemePLI schemes for labour-intensive sectors such as textiles and food processing aim to add jobs at scale.DPIIT
Mapped topper copies
Reviewed public-source references related to this PYQ. Same-syllabus references are labelled separately.
- Mayank Purohit · AIR 33 · Page 3 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Aniket Ranjan · AIR 48 · Page 26 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Shakti Dubey · AIR 1 · Page 23 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
- Abhishek Singh · Page 26 ↗Reviewed PYQ reference
Links open original public sources. MainsBuddy does not host these answer sheets.
Next: plan for one minute, write it in 11 minutes, then get it checked.