Traditional Skills in Transition: Socio-Economic Conditions and Occupational Mobility among the Viswakarma Community in Wayanad District, Kerala, India

Abstract

Traditional artisan communities form an essential yet increasingly vulnerable segment of rural economies in India. The Viswakarma community—historically associated with blacksmithing, carpentry, goldsmithing, and allied crafts—faces livelihood stress due to mechanized substitutes, changing markets, and shifting aspirations. This study examines socio-economic conditions and occupational mobility among Viswakarma artisans in Wayanad district, Kerala, using primary data collected in 2025 from respondents across three artisan categories and supplementary field interactions. Descriptive and proportional analyses are used to assess gender composition, dependency burden, income status among those continuing traditional work, workplace arrangements, and perceived income changes following the development of small industrial units. Results show high male concentration in core artisanal work (92%), sizeable dependency burdens, and income vulnerability among those continuing traditional occupations (notably, a large share earning below ₹10,000 per month). Occupational mobility is substantial: 54% of respondents have shifted to other jobs, while only 40% remain exclusively in traditional work. Industrial development has not translated into broad income gains; 49% reported no income change and 31% reported decline. Situated against Wayanad’s wider livelihood transformations shaped by conservation governance, agrarian transition, and emergent service opportunities such as ecotourism, the findings point to the need for integrated policies combining market access, skill modernization, enterprise support, and social protection to sustain artisanal livelihoods and intergenerational skill transmission.