NEW DELHI: Jobs in the informal sector grew nearly 15% (yo-y), breaching the 15-crore mark for the first time in JanMarch 2026 from 13.1 crore in the same period last year, the latest quarterly data on the unincorporated sector enterprises released by NSO Thursday showed. The number of establishments in the sector grew nearly 17% (y-o-y) to 9.2 crore from 7.9 crore in the corresponding period last year.“This demonstrates a healthy labour market growth in the sector, which is a major source of employment for a variety of skilled or unskilled people across different socio-economic backgrounds,” the survey said.Data showed that a majority (61%) of the people employed were worker-proprietors, meaning they own the establishment where they work, compared to 58.3% in the corresponding quarter of the previous year. In contrast, the share of hired-workers in these establishments witnessed a decline, falling to 24.8% from 26.9% over the same period.Sector-wise, the growth was led by services as the number of establishments increased nearly 25%, while the workforce in the sector grew 31%. “The strong expansion of the sector within the unincorporated economy reflects rising entrepreneurial activity in this sector, its growing role as a key driver of employment and increasing demand for local services,” the survey said.
