NSO Says India's 46 Big Cities Rely on Services, With 58.5% in Salaried Jobs
Updated
Updated · Moneycontrol · Jul 5
NSO Says India's 46 Big Cities Rely on Services, With 58.5% in Salaried Jobs
3 articles · Updated · Moneycontrol · Jul 5
Summary
India's first official city-level labour market estimates show employment in 46 million-plus cities is concentrated in services, with transport, storage and communication at 13.6% and other services at 31.5% of jobs.
Only 1.6% of workers in those cities are in agriculture, versus 10.1% across the rest of urban India, underscoring a sharp shift toward logistics, communications and higher-value urban services.
Regular salaried work makes up 58.5% of employment in million-plus cities, compared with 42.9% elsewhere in urban India, while casual labour is just 6.3% versus 14.4%.
Public and private limited companies employ 24.3% of workers in the biggest cities, against 17.2% across urban India, and workers there earn more across major job categories.
The NSO said the PLFS 2025-based report is a first for India's largest urban centres and is meant to strengthen policymaking as cities become key engines of growth and job creation.
Recent NSO reports show that India's urban workforce is undergoing a major transformation, with the economy increasingly centered around large cities. These million-plus cities are now the main engines of job creation, wage growth, and business activity, clearly outpacing smaller urban centers. The data highlights robust formal job creation and a greater share of stable, salaried employment in these major hubs, signaling a shift toward more formalized labor markets. This trend not only boosts economic productivity but also marks a structural change in how and where jobs are created in urban India.