What’s in today’s article?

• Why in the News?
• About the RBI’s Latest Report
• Key Terms of the Report

Why in the News?

• According to the Reserve Bank of India’s data, India’s employment rate grew by 6 per cent in the fiscal year ended March 31, 2024 from a growth of 3.2 per cent in 2022-23.

About the RBI’s Latest Report

• The RBI recently released data from its Measuring Productivity at the Industry Level-the India KLEMS Database.
  • KLEMS stands for [Capital (K), Labour (L), Energy (E), Material (M) and Services (S)].
• The database is part of a research project supported by the Reserve Bank to analyse productivity performance in the Indian economy at disaggregated industry level.
• The database covers 27 industries comprising the entire Indian economy.
• The database also provides these estimates at the broad sectoral levels (agriculture, manufacturing and services) and at the all-India levels.
• Key Takeaways from the Latest Data:
  • India's total employment stood at 643.3 million in 2023/24 versus 596.7 million in FY23.
  • Unemployment Rate (UR) in urban areas decreased from 6.8 per cent during January–March 2023 to 6.7 per cent in January–March 2024 for persons of age 15 years and above.
  • Female Unemployment Rate declined from 9.2 per cent to 8.5 per cent for the same period.
  • Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in urban areas has shown an increasing trend from 48.5 per cent to 50.2 per cent for the same period.
  • There was an increasing trend in Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons of age 15 years and above from 45.2 per cent to 46.9 per cent for the same period.

Key Terms of the Report

• Labour Force Participation Rate:
  • The labour force consists of persons who are of age 15 years or older, and belong to either of the following two categories:
• Employed
• Unemployed and are willing to work and are actively looking for a job
  • There is a crucial commonality between the two categories — they both have people “demanding” jobs. This demand is what Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) refers to.
• Employment Rate:
  • The employment rate is the percentage of employed persons in relation to the comparable total population.
• Unemployment Rate:
  • The unemployment rate is the percentage of adults who are in the labour force but who do not have jobs.
• Periodic Labour Force Survey:
  • The National Statistics Organisation (NSO) had launched the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in April 2017.
  • It was launched as part of efforts to get a better sense of the job situation and provide reliable and timely data.
  • The PLFS is designed with two major objectives for measurement of employment and unemployment.
• First, to measure the dynamics in labour force participation and employment status in the short time interval of three months for only the urban areas in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).

Second, for both rural and urban areas, to measure the labour force estimates on key parameters in both usual status and Current Weekly Status.

Q1. What is Disguised Unemployment?

Disguised unemployment occurs when part of the labour force is either left without jobs or operates redundantly, such that the productivity of the workforce is effectively zero. It is unemployment which has no impact on aggregate production.

Q2. What is Structural Unemployment?

Structural unemployment is a form of involuntary unemployment caused by a mismatch between the skills that workers in the economy can offer, and the skills demanded of workers by employers. Structural unemployment is often brought about by technological changes that make the job skills of many workers obsolete.

Source: Employment rate rises 6% provisionally in FY24 from 3.2% in FY23: RBI data | Business Standard

What’s in today’s article?

• Why in News?
• What is a Hurricane?
• What are the key characteristics of hurricanes?
• Beryl’s record early intensification
• Why did Beryl become a Category 5 hurricane so early?

Why in News?

Hurricane Beryl became the earliest storm on record during the Atlantic hurricane season to have reached the highest Category 5 classification.

Earlier this month, it devastated the Caribbean islands, causing intense floods and dangerous winds in Jamaica, Grenada, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and northern Venezuela, resulting in at least 11 deaths.

On July 8, Beryl made landfall in Texas as a Category 1 storm, flooding streets and causing power outages for over two million people in the state.

What is a Hurricane?

• A hurricane is a powerful and destructive tropical storm characterized by strong winds, heavy rainfall, and low atmospheric pressure.
• Hurricanes are also known as cyclones or typhoons in different parts of the world; the term used depends on the region.
• In the Atlantic Ocean and eastern North Pacific, they are called hurricanes, while in the northwestern Pacific, they are referred to as typhoons, and in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean, they are known as cyclones.

What are the key characteristics of hurricanes?

• Low Pressure Centre
  • Hurricanes have a well-defined centre of low atmospheric pressure, known as the eye.
  • The eye is typically calm and clear, with light winds, surrounded by a ring of intense thunderstorms called the eyewall.
• Strong Winds
  • Hurricanes are known for their powerful winds that can reach sustained speeds of at least 74 miles per hour (119 kilometers per hour) or higher.
• Heavy Rainfall
  • Hurricanes produce heavy rainfall, which can lead to flooding, landslides, and storm surges (a rise in sea level along the coast caused by the hurricane's winds pushing water toward the shore).
• Formation
  • Hurricanes form over warm ocean waters when the sea surface temperature is typically above 26 degrees Celsius (79 degrees Fahrenheit).
  • Warm, moist air rises from the ocean's surface, creating an area of low pressure.
  • As the air cools and condenses, it releases heat, which fuels the storm's development.
• Categories
  • Hurricanes are categorized on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale based on their maximum sustained wind speeds.
  • The scale ranges from Category 1 (weakest) to Category 5 (strongest), with each category representing a higher wind speed and potential for damage.
• Category 1 hurricanes bring winds of 119 to 153 kmph, Category 5 hurricanes, which are the strongest, have winds of 252 kmph or higher.
• Storms that reach Category 3 and higher are considered major hurricanes due to their potential to inflict significant damage.

Beryl’s record early intensification

• Within 24 hours of emerging as a tropical depression with winds of 56.3 kmph on June 28, Beryl transformed into a hurricane.
• Over the next 24 hours, it rapidly intensified to become a Category 4 hurricane.
  • At that point, Beryl was the first Category 4 hurricane to form in June.
  • The earliest emergence of a Category 4 hurricane was previously seen in the case of Hurricane Dennis in July 2005.
• On July 1, Beryl made landfall on Grenada’s Carriacou Island as a Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of over 241 kmph.
• As it travelled through the Caribbean Sea, it continued to gain strength, and became a Category 5 hurricane on July 2.
• This made it the earliest Category 5 hurricane seen during the Atlantic hurricane season on record.
• Beryl was also the strongest July Atlantic hurricane on record, with winds of 265.5 kmph, according to NOAA.

Why did Beryl become a Category 5 hurricane so early?

• The Atlantic hurricane season, lasting from June to November, typically sees its first major hurricanes in September due to the gradual warming of ocean waters, according to NOAA.
• Hurricane Beryl is unprecedented because it formed as a powerful storm much earlier, attributed to unusually warm ocean temperatures.
• Since 2023, both sea surface temperatures and ocean heat content (OHC) have been at record highs, a trend reflected in this year’s OHC being significantly above the 2013-2023 average.
• Atmospheric scientists highlight that the depth of the warm water, extending 100 to 125 meters, prevents cooler water from surfacing, thus sustaining Beryl’s intensity.

Q.1. What is ocean heat content (OHC)?

Ocean heat content (OHC) is the measure of heat stored in the ocean, encompassing temperature data from the surface to deeper layers. It reflects the ocean's role in absorbing and storing heat, influencing climate and weather patterns.

Q.2. What is Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale?

The Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale classifies hurricanes into five categories based on their maximum sustained wind speeds. Ranging from Category 1 (least severe) to Category 5 (most severe), it estimates potential property damage and flooding caused by hurricanes.

Source: How climate change fuelled Hurricane Beryl’s record early intensification | Economic Times | CBS News