The Skills Space in Informal Work: Insights from Bangalore Slums

Abstract

We develop a framework for mapping and analysing informal worker skills using microdata from nearly 1500 workers residing in the slums of Bangalore, India. Alongside econometric modelling, we employ machine learning techniques to explore relationships between skills crowdsourced from respondents. We find that informal workers rely on a host of task, language, personal and social skills. Further, we identify skill claims associated with both levels and stability of wage earnings. Our results include insights on gender disparities in skill claims, importance of English and computer literacy and the central role of personal and social skills in the Indian informal labour market. © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Not provided

Index Keywords

econometrics wage labor market gender disparity informal sector India Bengaluru Karnataka

Author Affiliations

School of Public Policy, Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, New Delhi, DL, India

Centre for Policy Studies, Shailesh J. Mehta School of Management, Mumbai, MH, India

Department of Sociology, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States, Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, United States

Funding & Acknowledgements

Grant: 1158803

This work was supported by the NSF SciSIP (Science of Science and Innovation Policy) [grant number 1158803]. Financial Support for this project was received from the National Science Foundation, University of Chicago Delhi Centre, and Azim Premji University. The authors are grateful to Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for administrative support. Amitabh Chaudhary at University of Chicago provided critical technical guidance and Vishal Vincent Joseph provided excellent research assistance. Prof Santosh Mehrotra and Rakesh Ranjan Kumar at Jawaharlal Nehru University provided valuable suggestions to strengthen the paper. Comments from participants at workshops and talks at the University Chicago Center in Delhi, Azim Premji University, Ashoka University, ISI Delhi, IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi were very helpful.

National Science Foundation, NSF

This work was supported by the NSF SciSIP (Science of Science and Innovation Policy) [grant number 1158803]. Financial Support for this project was received from the National Science Foundation, University of Chicago Delhi Centre, and Azim Premji University. The authors are grateful to Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for administrative support. Amitabh Chaudhary at University of Chicago provided critical technical guidance and Vishal Vincent Joseph provided excellent research assistance. Prof Santosh Mehrotra and Rakesh Ranjan Kumar at Jawaharlal Nehru University provided valuable suggestions to strengthen the paper. Comments from participants at workshops and talks at the University Chicago Center in Delhi, Azim Premji University, Ashoka University, ISI Delhi, IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi were very helpful.

Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, IITB

This work was supported by the NSF SciSIP (Science of Science and Innovation Policy) [grant number 1158803]. Financial Support for this project was received from the National Science Foundation, University of Chicago Delhi Centre, and Azim Premji University. The authors are grateful to Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for administrative support. Amitabh Chaudhary at University of Chicago provided critical technical guidance and Vishal Vincent Joseph provided excellent research assistance. Prof Santosh Mehrotra and Rakesh Ranjan Kumar at Jawaharlal Nehru University provided valuable suggestions to strengthen the paper. Comments from participants at workshops and talks at the University Chicago Center in Delhi, Azim Premji University, Ashoka University, ISI Delhi, IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi were very helpful.

Indian Statistical Institute, ISI

This work was supported by the NSF SciSIP (Science of Science and Innovation Policy) [grant number 1158803]. Financial Support for this project was received from the National Science Foundation, University of Chicago Delhi Centre, and Azim Premji University. The authors are grateful to Indian Institute of Technology Bombay for administrative support. Amitabh Chaudhary at University of Chicago provided critical technical guidance and Vishal Vincent Joseph provided excellent research assistance. Prof Santosh Mehrotra and Rakesh Ranjan Kumar at Jawaharlal Nehru University provided valuable suggestions to strengthen the paper. Comments from participants at workshops and talks at the University Chicago Center in Delhi, Azim Premji University, Ashoka University, ISI Delhi, IIT Delhi and IIIT Delhi were very helpful.

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The Skills Space in Informal Work: Insights from Bangalore Slums

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