Youth unemployment in India at 10.2%, says Union Labour minister

The unemployment rate for youth of India aged 15–29 years in 2023-24 is at 10.2% said Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje, citing statistics in the Lok Sabha in response to a question on November 25, 2024.
The reply also said that the youth unemployment rates in India were lower than global levels.
A report by the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) Institute for Human Development (IHD) shows the worldwide youth unemployment rate was 15.6% in 2021. The response filed also said that the youth unemployment rate was 13.3%.in 2023 as per World Employment and Social Outlook Trends, 2024 by ILO.
However, the government in July 2024 said that as per the latest Annual PLFS Reports, the estimated unemployment rate on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above was 4.2%, 4.1% and 3.2% during 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23, respectively.
So, even if the government says the youth unemployment rate in India is less than global levels, it has still gone from 3.2% to 10.2% today. The unemployment indicator in India at present is the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. The survey period is July to June of next year.
She also cited Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) Payroll data which gives an idea of the level of employment in the formal sector. More than 1.3 crore net subscribers joined EPFO during 2023-24. Moreover, during September 2017 to August 2024, more than 7.03 crore net subscribers have joined EPFO, indicating an increase in formalisation of employment, the minister added.
“All the labour force indicators are providing evidence of an improved employment scenario in the country,” Shobha Karandlaje said in the reply.
Meanwhile, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for youth indicating employment has increased from 31.4% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24, the minister pointed out in a written reply.
As per the latest data from the database, provisional estimates for 2023-24, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in the year 2023-24 compared to 47.15 crore in 2014-15. Total increase in employment during 2014-15 to 2023-24 is about 17 crore.
In September 2024, as per PLFS data, states that come on the list for having high unemployment rates include Kerala, which faces an unemployment rate of 29.9%, the highest after Andaman and Nicobar Islands, and Lakshwadeep out of the top 10 states in India.
While Andhra Pradesh has an overall unemployment rate of 17.5%, Punjab stands at 18.8%. Goa’s unemployment rate stands at 19.1%, while Manipur, the state in ethnic turmoil and violence for the last 2 years, the unemployment rate stands at 22.9%.
Recently, the centre has also launched MY Bharat platform, under the ministry of sports and youth affairs, which provides opportunities for youth engagement through various activities and organisations to involve them in internships and other meaningful activities for engaging and better experience.