Unemployment declining in rural and urban areas: Union minister in LS
Dec 15, 2022
New Delhi [India], December 15 : The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data has indicated that unemployment rate is on decline in the country, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Rameswar Teli informed the Lok Sabha on Thursday.
The data on Employment and Unemployment was collated through the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is from July, this year to June of next year.
As per the latest available Annual PLFS report, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons aged 15 years and above, during 2018-19 to 2020-21, declined from 5 per cent to 3.3 per cent in the rural areas.
The report further mentions that the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons aged 15 years and above, during 2018-19 to 2020-21, in the urban areas has seen a dip of 0.9 per cent. The figure is at 6.7 per cent for the financial year 2020-21, down from 7.6 per cent in 2018-19.
Cumulatively, the pan-India unemployment data shows a drop of 1.3 per cent from the figure of 5.8 per cent in 2018-19, to 4.2 per cent in 2020-21.
The data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey indicates that the unemployment rate has shown a declining trend in both rural and urban areas over the last three years.
The estimated female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for those aged 15 years and above was 24.5 per cent, 30.0 per cent and 32.5 per cent in 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21, respectively, thereby showing an increasing trend.
The central government has been making substantial investment and public expenditure on implementing schemes such as the Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Deen Dayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), among others, for employment generation.
The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is also implementing the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal VikasYojana (PMKVY) to enhance the employability of youth.
Various other programmes of the Centre such as 'Make in India', 'Start-up India, Stand-up India', 'Digital India', 'Smart City Mission', 'Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation', and 'Housing for All' are also aimed at generating employment opportunities.
