Unemployment rate stagnant, reveals government survey

Photograph used for illustration function solely.
| Photograph Credit score: Getty Picture/iStockphoto

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the interval between July 2023 and June 2024, launched by the Labour Bureau on Monday (September 23, 2024), reported no main change within the unemployment price, and there may be minor enhance within the distribution of employees in agriculture and the manufacturing sector reveals no development in giving jobs in comparison with previous years. The participation of ladies workforce has additionally improved. The Centre had confronted criticism for rising unemployment price and reduce within the variety of ladies in jobs.

A launch by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation stated that in rural areas, the Labour Power Participation Price (LFPR) elevated from 50.7% in 2017-18 to 63.7% in 2023-24 whereas for city areas it elevated from 47.6% to 52.0%. “LFPR for male in India elevated from 75.8% in 2017-18 to 78.8% in 2023-24 and corresponding enhance in LFPR for feminine was from 23.3% to 41.7%,” the discharge stated. The LFPR for Muslim ladies elevated from 15% in 2021-22 to 21.4% in 2023-24. Within the case of Hindu ladies, the participation in workforce elevated from 26.1% in 2021-22 to 33.3% on this yr. Equally, amongst Sikh and Christian ladies, the LFPR elevated from 19.8% to 26.7% and 34.2% to 38.3% respectively for a similar interval.

In rural areas, the unemployment price (UR) decreased from 5.3% in 2017-18 to 2.5% in 2023-24 whereas for city areas it decreased from 7.7% to five.1%. “UR for male in India decreased from 6.1% in 2017-18 to three.2% in 2023-24 and corresponding lower for feminine was from 5.6% to three.2%,” the Centre stated. The general unemployment price is 3.2%, much like final yr.

Grim image

Specialists stated the annual survey gave a grim image of the employment state of affairs. “Grim state of affairs has change into grimmer. The annual report is revealing it,” stated labour economist Santosh Mehrotra. “There is no such thing as a enchancment within the unemployment state of affairs, neither in youth unemployment nor in general unemployment,” stated Prof. Mehrotra. He stated the Centre continues to say that the LFPR and Employee Inhabitants Ratio have been growing. “It’s due to the rise in employees in agriculture. This additionally implies that unpaid household labour has additionally elevated and the PLFS counts this unpaid household labour as employment. The participation of employees in agriculture share has gone up for the fourth yr in a row. That is stunning,” he stated.

Prof. Mehrotra stated the rise in workforce in agriculture meant that the method of individuals searching for non-farm jobs reversed and it had not stopped. “The quantity of people that have gone again to agriculture searching for jobs could have elevated from 20 crore in 2012 to almost 27 crore in 2024,” he stated.

As the employees’ participation in manufacturing continues to be 11.4%, Prof. Mehrotra stated, the share of producing in offering employment just isn’t growing. “In 2012, it was 12.8%, and it ever recovered within the final 10 years. “The contribution of development work has gone again to 12%. The sector, which revived, just isn’t exhibiting any buoyancy,” he stated.