Barriers to Employment: P. R. Brahmananda Memorial Lecture, Indian Economic Association, Dec 26, 2023

The roots of pro-poor growth or growth with employment generation can be strengthened by subscribing to policies that promote the provisioning of physical, health and educational infrastructure and encourage the population to acquire better skills and make themselves employable. Though the relative size of the service sector outweighs that of the industry, it is pertinent that the strategy of industrialisation is recognised as instrumental to creating productive employment opportunities. Higher levels of investment, particularly in urban spaces, are expected to yield higher returns. Interspatial spill-over effects can take place, and higher levels of urbanisation can be attained. JEL Codes: E24, J14