Matribhumi Samachar English
The official data source on Employment and Unemployment is Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is July to June every year. As per the latest available Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in the country is as follows:
| Year | WPR (in %) | UR (in %) |
| 2017-18 | 46.8 | 6.0 |
| 2018-19 | 47.3 | 5.8 |
| 2019-20 | 50.9 | 4.8 |
| 2020-21 | 52.6 | 4.2 |
| 2021-22 | 52.9 | 4.1 |
| 2022-23 | 56.0 | 3.2 |
Source: PLFS, MoSPI
The above data indicates that the WPR i.e. employment has increasing trend and Unemployment Rate has a decreasing trend over the years.
Further, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for youth of age 15-29 years in the country is as follows:
| Year | Unemployment Rate (%) |
| 2017-18 | 17.8 |
| 2018-19 | 17.3 |
| 2019-20 | 15.0 |
| 2020-21 | 12.9 |
| 2021-22 | 12.4 |
| 2022-23 | 10.0 |
Source: PLFS, MoSPI
The data indicates that the unemployment rate for youth in the country has declining trend.
As per the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) latest KLEMS data, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in year 2023-24 compared to 47.15 crore in 2014-15. Total increase in employment during 2014-15 to 2023-24 is about 17.19 crore. The KLEMS data is available at https://www.rbi.org.in/Scripts/KLEMS.aspx.
Further, Government announced in the Budget 2024-25, the Prime Minister’s package of 5 schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crore.
Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government. Accordingly, the Government of India has taken various steps for generating employment in the country.
The various Ministries/ Departments of Government of India like Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Textile, etc. are implementing different employment generation schemes/ programmes like Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deen Dayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), etc. The details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes being implemented by the Government of India may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes.
This information was given by Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Smt. Shobha Karandlaje in a written reply in Lok Sabha today.
