Jaipur: Jaipur and Jodhpur have emerged as Rajasthan’s highest-paying cities for regular salaried employees, with average monthly earnings surpassing both the national urban average and the average for India’s million-plus cities. Kota, despite its thriving coaching economy, ranked among the country’s lowest-paying million-plus cities, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation’s (MoSPI) first Labour Market Dynamics survey released on June 29.The survey estimated the average monthly salary of a regular salaried employee at Rs 31,332 in Jaipur and Rs 31,081 in Jodhpur. Both cities are well above the national urban average of Rs 26,258 and the Rs 28,808 average recorded across India’s million-plus cities.Kota reported an average monthly salary of Rs 17,984 — more than Rs 13,000 lower than Jaipur. Only Ludhiana Rs 15,205, Raipur Rs 17,255 and Agra Rs 17,374 recorded lower average earnings.The survey also highlighted gender-wise earnings. In Jaipur, men earned an average of Rs 32,269 a month against Rs 28,453 for women. In Jodhpur, men earned Rs 31,564 compared to Rs 29,341 for women. Kota recorded the narrowest gender gap among the three cities, with men earning Rs 18,062 and women Rs 17,695.Retired economics professor of govt college in Ajmer, Mahendra Luniya, said Jaipur’s higher salaries reflect its diversified employment base. “Jaipur benefits from a mix of govt jobs, services, IT, tourism, healthcare and trade, which generally offer more stable salaried employment. Jodhpur has also developed a strong manufacturing and export ecosystem, helping it remain almost on a par with Jaipur,” he said.Explaining Kota’s lower earnings, Luniya said the city’s economy is driven largely by the coaching industry and allied services. “A significant share of the workforce is employed in private educational institutions, hostels, retail and other service activities, where regular salaries are relatively lower than in diversified urban economies. The city generates substantial economic activity, but that does not necessarily translate into higher average formal salaries,” he said.Nationally, Navi Mumbai topped the list with an average monthly salary of Rs 51,515, followed by Ranchi Rs 36,332, Greater Mumbai Rs 36,267, Delhi Rs 34,807, Prayagraj Rs 34,404, Bengaluru Rs 34,323 and Bhopal Rs 34,056.The survey, based on the Current Weekly Status approach, provides the first official city-level comparison of labour market outcomes across India’s million-plus cities. It covers earnings from regular wage and salaried employment during the preceding calendar month.
