Suicides, Economic Uncertainty and Daily Wage Earners

“Every day I live, I suffer. Why not end this suffering? I am anyway not able to provide anything for myself and my family. Death is a better alternative than living, at least I’ll stop being a burden”

Did that send a chill down your spine? It is the state of mind for 7,00,000 people who die by suicide every year worldwide (WHO, 2021 ). India witnessed 1,64,000 suicides in 2021(GoI, 2021 ). Out of these, 1.64 lakh, a fourth were daily wage workers, 14% were housewives and close to 9% were unemployed. In terms of economic status, 64.2% of them had an income of below 1 lakh a year. Each suicide leaves at least 6 people devastated and makes the community poorer.?

Looking at the statistics with 25.4% being daily wage earners did not leave me with a good feeling, and guess what, the number has increased over the years. This led me to reflect on a few questions. Do macroeconomic circumstances affect suicide rates? I don’t have definite answers, let’s look at a few thoughts though.?

According to research, the most prevalent diagnoses for suicide victims are depression and substance use (mostly alcohol) disorders. Further, there is also research that suggests that the economic crisis in the past has led to an increase in mental health disorders and suicide statistics .?

But the economy is recovering, why do we need to worry?

The current economic scenario seems very difficult. Many economists are calling the recovery of the Indian economy K-shaped , i.e. the organized sector economy is growing while the unorganized sector economy is shrinking. In simple words, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This can be correlated with the rise in demand for the MGNREGA , the lower auto sales, and the inadequate growth in the manufacturing and construction sector Globally, 90% of countries saw a dip in the Human Development Index. India’s rank also slipped from 130 to 132 out of 189 countries. The ILO (2022) estimates that modern slavery touched 50 million worldwide. The number estimated for India is 8 million i.e. 16%.

Logically as well, imagine, having to worry about not having enough money to feed yourself and your family for the next week. Imagine having tried everything you could have, and still not being able to earn enough to buy the basic necessities. Let’s go one step deeper. A daily wage worker works throughout the day in the heat and earns a meagre amount of money, that too on days that they are able to find work. The working conditions in some of these places are inhumane. Honestly, I fear, the gig economy is moving along similar lines. The delivery boy who delivers our groceries and food barely earns between Rs15 - Rs 70 depending on the distance. They drive through traffic, rain and scorching heat with high targets to meet for the day and no fixed salaries or insurance schemes . Situations like these would trigger burnout and learned helplessness. You work hard every day till the point you have burnout. Whenever you try to do something differently, you are left worse off, so you learn to be helpless and not try anymore. This is all the more a trap for young people in the gig economy. The workers face challenges in upskilling and cannot find better jobs .?

In this scenario, what can various stakeholders do?

Saving a life is everybody’s job. Each person and institution have a role to play. It is not just a virtue to save a dying person, but also beneficial in a transactional way. Prevention of suicides requires a community based approach . ?We can start by acknowledging the problem and realizing the impact of what may be coming, not just in terms of suicides, but mental health disorders worsened by economic uncertainty. The government can focus on initiatives to generate more employment, an urban MGNREGA has been proposed by many economists , for example. Further, there is a need for policies and regulations to safeguard blue-collar workers including daily wage earners and protection for those in the gig economy. Initiatives like the District Mental Health Mission which has been a huge success can be strengthened and expanded. Media can spread awareness while corporates can play a bigger role by strengthening their CSR initiatives. As individuals, the least we can do is think about these problems and potential solutions instead of closing our eyes to the problem. As individuals, we can contribute in small ways like offering a glass of water to the delivery boy who brings our food, sharing a list of resources with someone who mentions mental health issues or the will to take their own lives.? If each one of us does a little, it will turn out to be a lot!?

P.S. You can use the following resources, if needed.?

Helpline numbers include TISS i-call : 022-25521111, SNEHA Suicide Prevention Helpline +91 44 2464 0050, Kiran National Mental Health Rehabilitation Helpline 1800-599-0019, Samaritans helpline +918422984528, +918422984529, +918422984530, Sangath Tele- Counselling Helpline: +91 11 41198666, Connecting NGO distress helpline : 99220-01122/99220-04305.

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