There is a different craze for government job preparation in the country. After passing 12th, students start preparing for state recruitment including one day exam, but do you know which state in the country gets more government jobs for kids? In this regard, North Eastern states are ahead of North Indian states like UP, Bihar, Rajasthan. The share of people working in the government or public sector in the country is not the same in every state.

According to the PLFS i.e. Periodic Labor Force Survey of 2023-24, about 6% of the total workers in India work in the public sector. At the same time, about 6% of workers are in private companies. Majority of the workers in the country are engaged in household enterprises i.e. businesses run at family level. This survey is conducted by the National Statistics Office i.e. NSO.

Public sector here does not mean only central or state government direct jobs. This includes employment in the public sector, including various government departments and government-controlled companies. Therefore, this figure should not only be seen as the number of government posts present in government departments.

North-Eastern states are at the forefront

The highest share of government or public sector jobs is found in Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim. According to Data for India, one out of every four people working in these states works in the public sector, which is about 25%.

This does not mean that the total number of government employees in these states is more than Uttar Pradesh or Bihar. Here we are talking about the proportion of people working in the government sector in the total workforce. In states with small populations, government employment can be a large part of total employment. This is the reason why North-Eastern states appear at the top in terms of percentage.

One reason for the high share of government employment in the North-East is the relatively small size of the private sector there. When large-scale private companies and other formal employment options are limited, the government and public sector become important sources of employment for local people.

South India also has a higher share of government jobs

After the North-East, some states in South India also have a much higher share of public sector employment than the national average. In Kerala and Tamil Nadu the share is between 10% and 15%. This means that nearly one out of every 7 to 10 workers here is associated with the public sector.

Factors such as relatively better education, urbanization and large base of formal employment in these states are also important behind it. However, this does not mean that the government is the biggest source of employment here. In fact, the public sector’s share of the total workforce is much higher than the country’s average of 6%.

The picture is different in UP-Bihar and MP

Now coming to the states where the share of government jobs is very less. In Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh, only 3% of workers work in the public sector. This means that only 3 out of 100 workers in these states are employed in the government or public sector.

This figure is special because states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar have a lot of attraction among youth for government jobs. Due to the large population and limited formal employment, competition in government recruitment is also very high. But looking at the share of government jobs in total employment, the picture shows that only a very small portion of the employees of these states are able to make it to the public sector.

According to Data for India, more than 90% of the workforce in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh are engaged in household enterprises. It means that agriculture, family-run businesses, small businesses and other domestic work are the main sources of employment in these states.

What is the condition of Rajasthan?

Rajasthan is also not among the states with the highest share of public sector employment. That is, just by looking at the large population and the popularity of government jobs, it cannot be said that the proportion of government employees in the total workforce of the state will be high.

The actual picture also depends on the state’s economy, the size of the private sector, reliance on agriculture, small businesses and other employment options. Therefore, the number of youth preparing for government jobs and the share of government jobs in the total workforce of the state are two different things.