The Left should be able to carefully analyse the changes that have occurred in Kerala society during the neoliberal era, economist R. Ramakumar said here on Saturday (June 13, 2026).

“Neoliberalism creates new environments. The recent changes in Kerala society are notable. A serious study needs to be done on the class structure of Kerala,” he said at the EMS Memorial Lecture on ‘India and the Left’, organised by the EMS Memorial Study and Research Centre here.

Mr. Ramakumar said the middle class had emerged in a new form as part of neoliberalism. “A new class of wealthy individuals has emerged as part of this upper middle class, including owners of new educational institutions, large private hospitals, tourism enterprises and construction firms,” he was quoted as saying in a release.

He said the number of unorganised workers scattered across various platforms had increased tenfold in place of organised workers.