Structural Change, Services Sector and Intergenerational Occupational Mobility in India: Some Exploratory Evidence

Abstract

This study investigates into intergenerational occupational mobility of Indian workers towards and within service sectors during globalization. In particular, such mobility of workers is observed in the presence of structural shift of the economy towards service industry, especially towards service trade, and explores whether there is intergenerational mobility towards services and more ­skill-oriented occupations in India during 1999–2011. The Altham measure of relative mobility is applied on the National Sample Survey Organization employment–unemployment survey database to measure the degree of association between occupational choice of fathers and co-resident sons in urban India. An upward mobility among sons is observed between 1999–2000 and 2011–2012. JEL Codes: F14, F16, J62, L80, C46