Victor is able to get work only for two hours in a day. Rest of the day, he is looking for work. Is he unemployed? Why? What kind of jobs could persons like Victor be doing?
Is Victor unemployed? No, Victor is not unemployed. According to the definition by the National Statistical Office, an unemployed person is one who is not able to get employment of even one hour in half a day. Since Victor gets work for two hours in a day, he does not fall under the category of unemployed.
Why is he not unemployed? In India, people cannot remain completely unemployed for very long because their desperate economic condition would not allow them to be so. They are forced to accept jobs that nobody else would do. Victor is underemployed rather than unemployed.
What kind of jobs could persons like Victor be doing? Persons like Victor could be doing unpleasant or even dangerous jobs in unclean or unhealthy surroundings. They might be working as daily wage labourers, standing in select areas looking for work, or doing casual jobs that others may not prefer to do.
Explanation
The textbook clearly defines unemployment as a situation where a person is not able to get employment of even one hour in half a day. Since Victor works for two hours, he is technically employed but underemployed. The context explains that in India, due to desperate economic conditions, people are forced to accept any available work, often in unpleasant or unhealthy surroundings. This explains Victor's situation of having only partial work.