Dip in employment figures at India’s major ports

Hyderabad, January 2 : The number of employees at India’s major ports has declined at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about five per cent between 2001 and 2010, apex industry body ASSOCHAM said here on Wednesday.

The number of employees in different cadre has reduced from over 83,700 to just over 55,400 at 12 major ports in India according to a sector specific analysis titled ‘Employment Scenario at Major, Minor and Intermediate Ports in India’ released by the Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM).

In its analysis, the ASSOCHAM had analysed employment scenario at major ports of Chennai, Cochin (including Dock Labour Board employees), Ennore, J.L. Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (including Haldia Docks Complex), Murmugao, Mumbai (including Dock Labour Board employees), New Manglore, Paradip, Tuticorin (including workers of cargo handling labour pool) and Visakhapatnam.

Ennore port is the only port where the number of employees perked up from about 15 to over 86 during the aforesaid period thereby registering an upward spiraling CAGR of about 19 per cent.

The employment at the Mumbai port declined at the highest CAGR of about six per cent as the number of employees reduced from about 23,800 in 2001 to just over 14,000 in 2010, according to the ASSOCHAM analysis.

While the number of employees at Tuticorin has declined from over 3,700 to just about 2,200 at a CAGR of over 5.7 per cent followed by Kolkata port where the number of employees dropped from about 14,600 to just over 9,100 at a CAGR of about five per cent.

The employment has also declined at about five per cent at the port of Chennai as the number of employees there has come down from over 12,250 to just about 8,000. Paradip, Marmugao, New Mangalore and Cochin are certain other major ports where the number of employees has dropped at a CAGR of about 3-4 per cent.

While in Paradip the number of employees dropped from over 4,100 to just over 2,700 in Marmugao the employee strength has come down to about 2,900 from over 4,400. At the port of New Mangalore the number of employees has shrinked from over 2,400 to just over 1,700 and in Cochin employee strength has reduced to just over 3,900 from over 5,300 during the course of 2001-10.

Besides, the employee strength has reduced marginally by just about one per cent or so at Jawahar Lal Nehru Port, Kandla and Visakhapatnam where the number of employees dropped from over 1,800 to just over 1,700 and over 4,300 to just over 4,000 and from over 6,000 to over 4,800 during the aforementioned 10 years period.

Besides, in case of the number of employees at minor and intermediate ports in maritime states of Andhra Pradesh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Daman and Diu, Goa, Gujarat, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Maharashtra, Orissa, Pondicherry and Tamil Nadu also declined at a CAGR of about four per cent between 2001-2009 thereby dropping from over 4,400 to just about 3,200.

Moreover, according to the ASSOCHAM analysis, the number of dock workers registered with the Dock Labour Board at major ports of Chennai, Cochin, Kandla, Kolkata, Mormugao, Mumbai and Visakhapatnam also dropped at a CAGR of about 16 per cent i.e. from about 6,800 to less than 1,500 between 2001-10.