📄 Abstract
Daily wage workers in India constitute one of the most economically and socially vulnerable segments of the workforce, largely employed within the informal sector and dependent on unstable, day-to-day earnings for their livelihood. Daily wage earners remained the largest profession-wise group among suicide victims in India. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 drastically heightened livelihood vulnerability among India's daily wage workers, primarily through abrupt lockdowns that triggered massive job losses and income collapse. This study analyses the livelihood vulnerability, the COVID-19 crisis, and the incidence of suicide among daily wage workers in India. Drawing upon secondary data from National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) statistics and existing literature, the paper highlights a marked increase in suicides among daily wage earners, who represents the largest proportion of total suicides when compared to other professional groups. Additionally, the crisis related to the Covid pandemic has profoundly affected the lives and livelihoods of daily wage earners. The study suggests that there is an urgent need for more inclusive, comprehensive social protection measures to ensure employment security by the government to reduce livelihood vulnerability and prevent suicide among daily wage workers.
🏷️ Keywords
📚 How to Cite:
Dr. V. Ramakrishnappa , LIVELIHOOD VULNERABILITY, COVID-19 AND SUICIDE AMONG DAILY WAGE WORKERS IN INDIA , Volume 14 , Issue 1, January 2026, International Journal of Asian Economic Light (JAEL) ,