A Country Can't Grow Without Dignity of Labour
January 9, 2026
Let us begin with a question. Do we believe that the work we do deserves more respect than physical or manual labour? Is that belief behind the way we speak to a rickshaw walla, a sanitation worker, or someone who works in our home? If we believe certain kinds of work deserve less respect, we are feeding the very problem that holds the economy back.
As you know, every economy runs on work. All kinds of work. Some people build homes. Some fix machines. Others sweep streets, serve food or run shops. Each of these roles keeps daily life moving. But the strength of an economy depends not just on how much work gets done. It also depends on how that work is treated. It depends on how we treat the people doing the work. It depends on whether we respect them, whether the law protects them, and whether those who benefit from their work see its real worth.
In India, some jobs come with automatic respect. Others carry deep social stigma. Isn’t it? This divide has grown out of a long history of caste and class hierarchies, where mental or managerial work was granted higher status, and physical labour was seen as inferior. This value system has lasted across generations. Even today, it influences who gets respected, who gets paid well, and who is encouraged to feel pride in what they do.
Many young people avoid skilled trades like plumbing, tailoring or carpentry, even when there is steady income and strong demand. The work is seen as low, and the people doing it are often treated the same way. Those who take up these jobs face daily humiliation and insecurity. Over time, that drains motivation and leaves little space for building skill or taking pride in the work.
The French sociologist Émile Durkheim called this kind of thinking an “occupational hierarchy.” It means some kinds of work are treated with respect, while others are quietly looked down on, even if every one of them is needed. This mindset influences how people view different kinds of work. It also affects who ends up in which jobs, how workers are treated, and how well the work gets done.
That’s why a shoemaker or a labourer often can’t give you the quality you expect. Repairs are badly done. Roads are uneven. Public toilets break down. Some of this may result from weak training or low budgets. But often, it happens because the work itself is undervalued. If a plumber or street cleaner is treated with contempt, they are less likely to feel any responsibility toward quality. And that affects everyone who uses public services.
American economist George Akerlof studied this in detail through what he called the “efficiency wage” theory. He showed that people work better when they feel respected. Fair treatment increases effort. Dignity strengthens commitment. On the other hand, when workers are treated as disposable, their output suffers. They do just enough to get by. So respect plays a direct role in productivity.
This has a direct link to how we train people and plan our economy. Many governments focus on skill-building and technical courses. But Nobel Prize-winning economist Gary Becker, who introduced the idea of human capital, explained something important. People build their skills only when they feel respected, supported and rewarded. If they’re insulted, mocked or badly paid, they stop learning. Their effort drops. Productivity stays low.
Look at countries where dignity of labour is taken seriously. In Germany, for example, vocational education is part of the formal economy. Teenagers who want to become electricians or bakers go through proper training with real work experience. And these programmes are backed by law, supported by industry, and protected by public policy. These roles are legally protected, supported by employers, and treated as respectable careers. The person fixing your plumbing is not seen as someone who couldn’t become a manager. They are seen as a skilled professional with proper training and a place in the system.
India’s workforce, on the other hand, is mostly informal. That means no contracts, no job security and very little recognition.
If society continues to disrespect entire categories of work, those sectors will continue to deliver poor results. No amount of top-down training will change that without a shift in how we treat labour itself.
This is something Dr B. R. Ambedkar understood with great clarity. As both an economist and a constitutional thinker, he saw labour not just as a means of livelihood, but as a question of dignity and rights. He argued that no kind of work should carry shame. A society cannot claim equality, and an economy cannot be stable, if the people doing its essential work are treated with contempt.
Think of it like this. You cannot build a strong house while insulting the person who lays the bricks. A functioning economy works the same way. Dignity of labour brings skill, stability, and fairness into daily life. It holds the economy together from the ground up.
That’s what keeps a country going. That’s how nations grow. So let’s give every kind of work the respect it deserves.