Youth Unemployment Rate Rises to Four-Quarter High at 15%: PLFS Data

Urban unemployment fell to 6.6% from 6.7% in the previous quarter while rural unemployment increased to 4.3% from 4%.

The Wire Staff

Urban unemployment fell to 6.6% from 6.7% in the previous quarter while rural unemployment increased to 4.3% from 4%.

youth unemployment rate rises to four quarter high at 15 plfs data

Women labourers work at a brick kiln in Balurghat, Friday, March 7, 2025. Photo: PTI.

The unemployment rate among young people aged 15-29 rose to 15% in the January-March quarter, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The figure was 14.3% in the October-December quarter.

Among young women, unemployment increased to 17.7% from 16.6% in the previous quarter, while the rate rose to 14% from 13.5% among young men, the Financial Express reported, quoting PLFS data.

The survey also recorded a rise in the overall unemployment rate for people aged 15 years and above under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) method. The rate stood at 5% in January-March, compared to 4.8% in October-December. Under the CWS method, a person is counted as unemployed if they did not work for even one hour during the reference week but was seeking or available for work for at least one hour during that period.

Urban and rural employment

Urban unemployment fell to 6.6% from 6.7% in the previous quarter while rural unemployment increased to 4.3% from 4%.

The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) at the national level was 55.5% in the January-March quarter, compared to 55.8% in October-December. Female LFPR declined to 34.7% from 34.9%, the Financial Express reported.

The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also declined marginally to 52.8% from 53.1%.

In rural areas, the share of regular wage and salaried workers increased to 15.5% from 14.8%. The proportion of self-employed workers declined to 62.5% from 63.2%.

The sectoral composition of employment continued to differ between rural and urban areas. In rural India, the share of workers employed in agriculture fell to 55.8% from 58.5%. Employment in the tertiary sector rose to 21.7% from 20.6%, while the secondary sector increased to 22.6% from 20.9%.

Using projected population estimates from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the National Statistical Office estimated that 574 million people aged 15 years and above were employed during the quarter. Of these, 402 million were men and 172 million were women.

The survey covered 5,61,822 people aged 15 years and above and is the fourth quarterly bulletin to provide separate rural and urban estimates.

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