The latest statistics from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation show that Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Maharashtra were home to the greatest number of small unincorporated businesses across rural and urban areas in fiscal 2022-23.
According to the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Enterprises for 2022-23, Uttar Pradesh accounted for 13.83% of India’s informal sector enterprises from October 2022 to September 2023. West Bengal followed closely at 12.04%, while Maharashtra saw its share rise marginally to 9.37% over the study period.
Comparisons with a previous survey in 2015-16 found fewer unincorporated sector workers in states like Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal in the recent fiscal year. However, most states did see an uptick in informal jobs right after the pandemic compared to 2021-22.
Uttar Pradesh witnessed a decline in such workers to 1.57 crore from 1.65 crore in 2015-16. But its numbers grew from 1.30 crore in 2021-22. Similarly, West Bengal’s informal workforce fell to 1.05 crore from 1.35 crore since 2015-16, though it increased slightly from 1.02 crore last fiscal.
Maharashtra proved to be an exception as it registered continuous growth, with unincorporated sector jobs rising to 1.15 crore versus 91.23 lakh in 2015-16 and 98.81 lakh last year.
The data provides key insights into employment trends in India’s vast unorganized economy, which forms a crucial safety net during downturns. Timely statistics help bring informal business activities and workers onto the policy radar.
