Harmful forms of child labour in India from a time-use perspective

Figures & data

Table 1. A working definition of child labour.

	Age groups	5–11	12–14	15–17
Child labour criteria	Hazardousness^(1)	– In hazardous industries (mining and construction)	– In hazardous industries (mining and construction)	– In hazardous industries (mining and construction)
	Time thresholds	- At least 1 hour of economic work^(1) or - at least 21 hours of unpaid household services per week^(3)	- More than 38 hours of economic work^(2) or - at least 21 hours of unpaid household services per week^(3)	- More than 38 hours of economic work per week^(2)

Notes: (1) The ILO (2017) scheme is used in the categories considered hazardous; (2) this paper’s estimated time threshold; (3) the UNICEF (2019) scheme is shown in the category of time thresholds, and in this paper, the services include those performed in their own and other households.

Table 2. Three alternative methods of time measurement.

Types	Non-multiple activities	Multiple activities
		Simultaneous	Non-simultaneous
Conservative	Count a stint working	Count a stint working if it has a major “work” activity
Extended		Count a stint working if it has a major or minor “work” activity
Literal		A stint*no. of work activities (adds to daily total time above 24 hours)	A stint*the proportion of work activities (divides up some stints into 2*15 or 3*10 minutes, based on the 2–3 activities)

Note: * refers to multiplication; a stint means 30 minutes in ITUS 2019 (NSS 2020a). See MOSPI (2020).

Figure 1. Indian child labour proportion by three measurement methods in 2019 time-use data. Notes: The child labour proportions show range from 4 per cent to 12 per cent, defined as the ratio of the number of children in harmful forms of work (numerator) to (the denominator) the number of children in the population in that age-group. The mean and +/−2 standard errors are displayed. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Table 3. Indian child labourer counts using three alternative measurement methods.

	All		Male		Female
	Weighted count of CL	CL rate	Weighted count of CL	CL rate	Weighted count of CL	CL rate
Conservative	7326	0.0695	3752	0.0653	3574	0.0744
Extended	7924	0.0751	3909	0.0681	4015	0.0836
Literal	7353	0.0697	3747	0.0652	3606	0.0751

Notes: See Table 2 for the three methods used. Weighted total = 105,476; male weighted total = 57,436; female weighted total = 48,040; ages 6–17; CL = Child labour. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Table 4. Labouring hours of child labourers by gender (measured in hours per day).

Type of work	Measurement	All		Male		Female
		Mean	SE	Mean	SE	Mean	SE
Any work	Conservative	5.24	0.05	5.73	0.08	4.74	0.06
	Extended	5.26	0.05	5.74	0.08	4.79	0.06
	Literal	5.19	0.05	5.62	0.08	4.73	0.06
Economic activity	Conservative	3.34	0.06	4.80	0.09	1.81	0.06
	Extended	3.17	0.06	4.70	0.08	1.68	0.06
	Literal	3.24	0.06	4.67	0.08	1.76	0.06
Unpaid household services	Conservative	1.90	0.03	0.93	0.03	2.92	0.05
	Extended	2.10	0.03	1.05	0.03	3.13	0.04
	Literal	1.95	0.03	0.95	0.03	2.98	0.05

Notes: Ages 6–17; SE = Standard errors. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Figure 2. Histograms of daily working hours by age groups in India 2019 (hours/day). Notes: Our definition of child labour includes those in hazardous work (ILO 2017) or overwork; an extended measurement strategy is applied. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Figure 3. Daily labouring hours of Indian child labourers by gender and age in 2019 (hours/day). Notes: The definition of child labour used here includes those in hazardous work (ILO 2017) or overwork (using the time thresholds discussed here); the figure uses the extended measurement strategy. Coverage is ages 6–17. The mean and +/−2 standard errors are displayed. Column (a) reflects both (b) and (c) activities. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Figure 4. Daily labouring hours of Indian child labourers by gender and social group in 2019. Notes: Using the extended measurement strategy; ages 6–17; mean and +/−2 standard errors are displayed; column (a) reflects both (b) and (c) activities. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Figure 5. Daily labouring hours of Indian child labourers by gender and the respondent’s dominant type of work in 2019. Notes: Using the extended measurement strategy; ages 6–17; mean and +/−2 standard errors are displayed; column (a) reflects both (b) and (c) activities; a respondent’s dominant type is decided by a respondent’s activity written as usual status. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Table A1. A state-level proportion of child labourers by gender.

Proportion of child labourers	Male		Female
	Mean	SE	Mean	SE
A & N Islands	0.080	0.002	0.093	0.002
Andhra Pradesh	0.070	0.000	0.077	0.000
Arunachal Pradesh	0.040	0.000	0.088	0.001
Assam	0.054	0.000	0.036	0.000
Bihar	0.057	0.000	0.070	0.000
Chandigarh	0.153	0.005	0.114	0.007
Chhattisgarh	0.075	0.000	0.128	0.000
D & N Haveli	0.089	0.003	0.050	0.004
Daman & Diu	0.095	0.004	0.019	0.004
Delhi	0.097	0.000	0.087	0.001
Goa	0.081	0.005	0.049	0.003
Gujarat	0.077	0.000	0.117	0.000
Haryana	0.063	0.000	0.048	0.000
Himachal Pradesh	0.032	0.000	0.036	0.000
Jammu & Kashmir	0.066	0.001	0.027	0.000
Jharkhand	0.057	0.000	0.098	0.000
Karnataka	0.046	0.000	0.053	0.000
Kerala	0.032	0.000	0.035	0.000
Lakshadweep	0.000	0.000	0.000	0.000
Madhya Pradesh	0.087	0.000	0.117	0.000
Maharashtra	0.058	0.000	0.085	0.000
Manipur	0.024	0.000	0.028	0.000
Meghalaya	0.101	0.000	0.099	0.000
Mizoram	0.067	0.001	0.181	0.001
Nagaland	0.071	0.001	0.093	0.001
Odisha	0.071	0.000	0.101	0.000
Puducherry	0.029	0.002	0.073	0.003
Punjab	0.069	0.000	0.076	0.000
Rajasthan	0.080	0.000	0.121	0.000
Sikkim	0.025	0.001	0.019	0.001
Tamil Nadu	0.045	0.000	0.045	0.000
Telangana	0.040	0.000	0.042	0.000
Tripura	0.043	0.000	0.040	0.000
Uttar Pradesh	0.089	0.000	0.102	0.000
Uttarakhand	0.041	0.000	0.059	0.001
West Bengal	0.070	0.000	0.059	0.000

Notes: An extended view is applied; ages 6-17; highlighted top 10 per cent. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Table A2. State-level labouring hours of child labourers by dominant types of work.

	Male				Female
Hours of labour for any work	Others	Agr	Non-agr	Domestic service	Others	Agr	Non-agr	Domestic service
A & N Islands	3.3		10		3.9			5
Andhra Pradesh	3.7	7.9	8.5		3.4	9.1	10.8	9.2
Arunachal Pradesh	4.7		10.5	3.8	5.4	8.5	6	8.4
Assam	3.1	9.5	8.8		2.8	10		6.8
Bihar	3.5	8.1	8.6	5.4	4	8.9	11	6.4
Chandigarh	3.9		10.8		2.5			5
Chhattisgarh	3.1	6.8	8.8	5.6	4.2	11.1	9.7	7.9
D & N Haveli	8		12.5		9		12.5
Daman & Diu	0.5		11.8		4
Delhi	2.6		11.6	0.5	3.2		11.5	6
Goa	2.1				3.3
Gujarat	3.4	8.6	10.3	1	4.3	10.5	11.6	6.8
Haryana	2.7	7.8	7.5		2.8		9.7	6.9
Himachal Pradesh	4.1	7.5	7.9		3.7			4.3
Jammu & Kashmir	2.7	9.2	8.7	7.3	3.2	6.5
Jharkhand	4.6	8	10.1	10	4.5	11.8	11.9	7.1
Karnataka	3.3	8.3	8.8	3.5	3.3	8.1	8.6	6.7
Kerala	4.8		8.7		4
Madhya Pradesh	3.6	8.2	8.6	7.5	4	9.4	8	7.5
Maharashtra	3.9	8	9.3	8	4	9	9.6	6.8
Manipur	3	6	8.6	5.5	3.3	10.1	9.5	10
Meghalaya	3	8.1	7.2		4	8.3	10.3	8.7
Mizoram	4.6				4.2
Nagaland	3.9	8			2.6	7.5		9.5
Odisha	1.7	6.8	7	6.2	2.5	11.5	12.5	8.2
Puducherry	0.7				3
Punjab	2.3	10.4	9.6	9.7	3.4		9.5	5.5
Rajasthan	3.4	7.6	9.7	7.3	3.9	8.5	9.9	6.8
Sikkim	2		9	5	3.3			6.5
Tamil Nadu	2.6	9.4	10	1	2.5		10.2	8
Telangana	2.6	9.3	9		3.4	11.2
Tripura	3.3	8.8	8.8	4.3	3.1	10	10.4	5.3
Uttar Pradesh	4.1	8.3	9.3	5.3	4.4	11.2	10.3	5.8
Uttarakhand	4.8		10.3		4.3	11		7.8
West Bengal	3	7.8	9.3	3	4.2	11.2	9.1	8.4

Notes: Usual status and NIC are used to categorise domain types of work; an extended view is applied; ages 6-17; highlighted top 10 per cent. Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

Table A3. ITUS 2019 case studies.

(Case 1) Girl, 16 years old, Chhattisgarh, OBC, casual labourer 6.5 hours/day for [Paid self-employment] Informal employment – growing of crops 2 hours/day Own use – fetching water 2 hours/day Unpaid domestic services – indoor cleaning  =  10.5 hours a day in work (Case 2) Girl, 14 years old, UP, ST, domestic duties only 4 hour/day [Paid self-employment] Informal employment – growing of crops 3 hours/day Own-use production of goods – animal rearing 5 hours/day Unpaid domestic services – cleaning, preparing meals  =  12 hours a day in work (Case 3) Girl, 16 years old, Madhya Pradesh, ST, unpaid family worker 7 hours/day [Unpaid] Own use production of goods – growing of crops 1 hour/day Commuting 2 hours/day Unpaid domestic services – cleaning, preparing meals  =  10 hours a day in work (Case 4) Girl, 15 years old, Jharkhand, ST, student 4 hours/day Own-use production of goods – fetching water, animal rearing 1.5 hour/day Paid casual labour – services 4.5 hours/day Unpaid domestic services – cleaning, washing, meals =  10 hours a day in work (Case 5) Girl, 17 years old, Rajasthan, OBC, casual labourer 1.5 hours/day Own-use production of goods – animal rearing 8.5 hour/day Paid casual labour – services 1.5 hours/day Unpaid domestic services – cleaning  =  11.5 hours a day in work (Case 6) Boy, 13 years old, UP, Muslim Non-SC/ST, regular waged worker 10 hrs/day paid casual labour – goods (wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles)  =  10 hrs a day in work

Data source: India Time Use Survey 2019 (NSS 2020a).

ILO. 2017. Methodology of the Global Estimates of Child Labour, 2012-2016. Geneva: International Labour Organization.

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UNICEF. 2019. Child labour – notes on the data. Available at: https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-labour/. Accessed Sept. 15, 2022.

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MOSPI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation). 2020. NSS Report: Time Use in India- 2019 (January – December 2019), Delhi: Government of India, Available at: https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1660028. Accessed Sept. 15, 2022.

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Data availability statement

Indian Time Use Survey (ITUS) is an open dataset. It is provided through the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation website (https://www.mospi.gov.in/web/mospi/download-tables-data/-/reports/view/templateTwo/24805?q=TBDCAT).