BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has caused economic slowdown all across the globe. It results in job loss on the one hand and less wages, increased working hours, overqualified employees and part time jobs on the other hand. Low demand of labour and a huge availability of work force will put many in a disadvantageous position, where they will have to compromise with the circumstances by being underemployed. Cabinet decisions, by some Indian states like Uttar Pradesh, to suspend the labour laws related to minimum wage, bonus, working hours and other employee benefits will put workers in a highly disadvantageous position of being underemployed. This may lead to many socio-economic, psychological and health-related implications. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review on the concept of underemployment, its types and consequences. METHODOLOGY: A critical and constructive analysis of the literature was performed. RESULTS: The findings reveal that if employment does not provide workers with proper opportunities to use their education, time, skills and expertise, it can create stressful situations in workers’ lives. CONCLUSION: The problem needs both a diagnosis and robust treatment in order to have better outcomes at the individual, organisational and national levels.

not as per the aspirations of global business houses. Creating sustainable business environment and making India a production hub of the world is a challenging task. Bureaucracy, corruption, delays in clearance of business proposals, ethical standards and work culture, tax reforms, political interventions, socioeconomic barriers, and regionalism are some of the challenges. Nonetheless, India is poised to take advantage of its strengths and overcome these challenges so that it can answer the call to Make in India and promote Brand India.

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Primary data collected from selected bastís of Jalandhar showed that 9.6% of the total labour engaged in the stitching of inflatable balls was child labour. The working hours for these children was far in excess of the statutory limit as provided under the Child Labour Prohibition and Regulation Act, 1986. Moreover, as the work of ball stitching is outsourced by contractors and done in the household, children engaged in this activity are not covered by the health and safety benefits that factory workers are entitled to. The children work to augment family income. Also, one of the factors at the root of child labour in Jalandhar is the perception that the education imparted in schools does not make one fit for jobs, so the sooner the children learn job-related skills, the better it is for them. Vocational education, if provided, would facilitate both education and skill training. Another measure could be to bring household labour under the scope of the law, so that children can not be put to work

More than 50% of the sampled child labourers in the hosiery industry of Ludhiana belonged to families below the poverty line. In 20.44% of the cases, the child was the sole wage earner. Most of the children, it was found, work in congested and crowded places, which affect them physically and psychologically. They are exposed to different types of pollutants like fibers, dyes, wool and cotton fluff, which have an adverse effect on their health. 31.11% of the children reported that they were ill treated by their employer. The children are also exploited by the parents for short and narrow gains - the parents usually secure loans from employers and surrender their children as security.