Muslim representation in Maharashtra government jobs has declined over the past decade, even as the overall workforce in the state administration has shrunk by 16 per cent, reflecting structural and social challenges that have impacted minority communities.
While the share of reserved categories has increased due to affirmative action policies, the proportion of Muslims in government positions has dropped from 3.8 per cent in 2015 to 3.3 per cent in 2023, highlighting a growing diversity gap in state employment, The Indian Express reported.
According to data from the Maharashtra Government’s Directorate of Economics and Statistics, the total number of government employees has reduced from 5.71 lakh in 2015 to 4.78 lakh in 2023, falling short of the sanctioned workforce of 7.24 lakh.
As a result, the number of government employees per lakh of the population has dropped to 377, while the sanctioned strength stands at 570 per lakh, with budgetary constraints cited as a key factor in limiting recruitment.
The rising wage and pension burden, which accounts for nearly 35 per cent of the state’s Rs 6.15 lakh crore budget, has led to a deliberate workforce contraction, further limiting opportunities for new entrants, particularly among underrepresented communities.
While the decline in government jobs has affected all demographic groups, affirmative action policies have ensured that the proportion of reserved category employees has risen from 68.4 per cent in 2015 to 71.1 per cent in 2023.
Despite this increase, the absolute number of employees from these categories has decreased from 3.91 lakh to 3.39 lakh, although this reduction is slightly lower than the overall workforce contraction. Women have also seen improved representation, with their share rising from 18.32 per cent in 2013 to 23.47 per cent in 2023, even as their absolute numbers increased from 1.04 lakh to 1.12 lakh during the period.
In contrast, Muslim representation has continued to decline, reinforcing concerns about their marginalization in public-sector employment. With the Muslim population constituting 11.54 per cent of Maharashtra’s total population, their representation in government jobs remains disproportionately low and has witnessed a downward trend.
This decline has been attributed to multiple factors, including structural barriers, socio-economic disparities, and linguistic challenges, as a significant number of Muslims in the state reportedly lack proficiency in Marathi, which is a prerequisite for government employment. The absence of community-specific affirmative action measures has further exacerbated this trend, as the state’s recruitment policies do not include reservations based on religious identity.
A similar decline has been observed among other religious minorities, with the representation of Christians and Jains also decreasing in government jobs. While Christians, who constitute 0.96 per cent of the population, saw their share drop from 0.7 per cent to 0.3 per cent, Jains, comprising 1.25 per cent of the state’s population, witnessed a decline from 0.3 per cent to 0.2 per cent.
Meanwhile, the representation of Hindus and Buddhists has seen a slight increase, with Hindus accounting for 89.9 per cent of government employees, up from 89.1 per cent in 2015, and Buddhists rising from 5.7 per cent to 5.9 per cent.