NEW DELHI, Sept. 23 -- India's formal workforce is expanding, but the sectors that have traditionally provided a pathway for workers with limited formal education are losing ground within it, with their share of Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) contributors falling over the past two years, data shared by the labour ministry show.

The number of EPFO contributors in 12 labour-intensive industries - garments, textiles, jute, leather, beedi, tea, tea plantations, brick making, cashew, coir, cotton ginning and diamond cutting - fell 1.3% to 54.64 lakh in 2025-26 from 55.36 lakh in 2023-24.

Their share of total EPFO contributing members fell to 6.87% from 7.58%, even as the overall EPFO-covered workforce rose nearly 9%, from 7.30...