Case Studies

What we know about private-sector and non-farm employment -with data

December 11, 2025 Ravi
What we know about private-sector and non-farm employment -with data

According to the most recent NITI Aayog report, the share of India’s workforce employed in the service sector has risen to around 30% in 2025 (from ~26.9% in 2011-12).

  • The 2023–24 official survey by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI) — via the Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) — showed that in the last year, employment in the unorganised/non-farm sector grew by about 10%, reflecting significant absorption of labour outside agriculture. DD News+1

  • A survey by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) of several firms during 2024-25 indicated that ≈ 97% of participating companies plan to increase hiring — implying optimism in private-sector expansion, especially in manufacturing + services. बिज़नेस स्टैंडर्ड

  • From FY 2014 to FY 2023, data referenced in a report by State Bank of India (SBI) suggests India created roughly 12.5 crore new jobs overall, with a substantial share in manufacturing and service sectors (excluding agriculture). https://mpcg.ndtv.in/+1

Implication: The private/non-farm sector (services + manufacturing + unorganised/non-farm) remains the main engine of job creation in India over the last decade. Services and non-farm unorganised segments are absorbing large numbers of workers even as agriculture shrinks in share.

⚠️ What we don’t reliably know — and why most “sales vs tech vs service” breakdowns are fuzzy

  • There is no publicly available, recent nationwide breakdown that cleanly segregates employment into precise buckets such as “sales”, “IT/technology”, “hospitality/service”, “manufacturing/labour”, etc. Official surveys cluster jobs broadly (e.g. “services”, “manufacturing”, “non-farm/unorganised”) — they don’t track designations.

  • The “sales” category is particularly nebulous: many sales jobs (retail, FMCG distribution, field sales, B2B sales) are counted under services or informal/unorganised sectors. So any claim that X% are “sales-workers” tends to be guesswork.

  • Informal sector and self-employment dominate a large share of growth. A recent report showed self-employment numbers rising faster than salaried or casual jobs — meaning many people in “private sector” aren’t in structured corporate jobs at all. mint+1

What this means for TBV / Tier-2 Entrepreneurs / Policy-Minded Writers

  • You can reliably argue that India’s private/non-farm sector remains the largest employer outside agriculture — especially services and unorganised sector jobs. That supports analyses around “services-led employment economy,” “gig/unorganised sector resilience,” or “consumption + service demand in Tier-2 towns.”

  • You must be cautious when talking about distribution among “sales, tech, service” — avoid presenting unverified percentages. Instead, frame observations as “Many workers end up in sales/service roles — because of demand, ease of entry, and skill mismatch.”

  • There’s room for deeper research & brand positioning: As consultants, TBV can collect regional data (Lucknow, UP, North India) — survey small businesses, skill hubs, local employment — and create proprietary datasets. That becomes a differentiator: you offer insight no generic blog cites.

Share this article

Top Strategic Partner in Lucknow | Business Growth Experts | TrustBridge Ventures

Stay updated

Get our strategy-focused posts straight to your inbox. No spam. Just smart insights.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.