Kerala Remains the Top Wage-Paying State; Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat Offering the Lowest Wages in the Country
Kerala continues to be the most lucrative state for rural farmworkers, with an average daily wage of Rs. 764.3. In Kerala, a rural farmworker”s monthly earnings can reach Rs. 19,107 for 25 days of work. Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) stands second, paying an average wage of Rs. 550.4 to rural farmworkers. Himachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu follow, with daily wages of Rs. 473.3 and Rs. 470 per person, respectively, a Reserve Bank of India (RBI) report shows.
Among the poorly paid states, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat top the list with daily wages of Rs. 229.2 and Rs. 241.9, respectively. These figures fall far below the national average wage of Rs. 345.7 per day. A farmworker in Madhya Pradesh earns an average monthly income of Rs. 5,730, and a Gujarat farmworker earns around Rs. 6,047, which are below-par incomes to meet the expenses of a four-member household. Considering that a family of five needs to spend at least Rs. 1,400 per month on a vegetarian thali meal, these earnings are inadequate.
Among other poorly paid states, Uttar Pradesh offers an average daily wage of Rs. 309.3 to rural farmworkers, while Odisha pays Rs. 285.1 per day. In Maharashtra, which is touted as the most industrialized state, male farmworkers receive only Rs. 303.5 daily.
For male non-agricultural workers, Kerala again tops the list with Rs. 696.6 per person. Jammu and Kashmir follows with Rs. 517.9, Tamil Nadu with Rs. 481.5, and Haryana with Rs. 451.
Madhya Pradesh once again holds the first position as the poorly paid state, offering a mere Rs. 246.3 per person. Gujarat pays a daily wage of Rs. 273.1 per non-agricultural worker, while Tripura provides Rs. 280.6. Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh are again paying wages that fall below the national average of Rs. 323.2.
The daily wage for rural construction workers in Kerala has witnessed a sharp hike, reaching Rs. 852.5. In J&K, the wage is Rs. 534.5, while Tamil Nadu and Himachal Pradesh provide Rs. 500.9 and Rs. 498.3, respectively.
Wage growth for agricultural and non-agricultural laborers remained low during 2022-23, averaging 5.8% and 4.9%, respectively.
Despite some economic challenges, the average wage for agricultural and non-agricultural laborers increased significantly in 2023. The pace of wage growth peaked in January 2023, at 7.7% for agricultural laborers and 5.6% for non-agricultural laborers. However, this growth slowed down in March 2023.
