The survey, which covered 22 states and Union territories, identified Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Odisha as other states with high unemployment rates in this age category.
The overall unemployment rate for the 15-29 age group was 17 per cent for the January-March period, an increase from 16.5 per cent in the previous quarter but slightly lower than the 17.3 per cent reported in the same period in 2023. For all age groups, the unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent , marginally up from 6.5 per cent in the previous quarter and slightly below the 6.8 per cent from the previous year.
Three states and UTs recorded single-digit unemployment rates: Delhi (3.1 per cent ), Gujarat (9 per cent ), and Haryana (9.5 per cent ). Karnataka (11.5 per cent ) and Madhya Pradesh (12.1 per cent ) also had relatively low unemployment rates.
Unemployment rates in the 15-29 age group have been persistently high, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic. Although there has been some improvement post-pandemic, it remains a critical issue for policymakers focused on job creation for new workforce entrants.
The data also highlighted the high unemployment rate for women, with Jammu & Kashmir at 48.6 per cent , followed by Kerala (46.6 per cent ), Uttarakhand (39.4 per cent ), Telangana (38.4 per cent ), and Himachal Pradesh (35.9 per cent ). The overall female unemployment rate for the January-March quarter was 22.7 per cent , a slight increase from 22.5 per cent in the previous quarter but lower than 22.9 per cent in the same period in 2023.
The PLFS survey tracks joblessness, labor force participation, and worker population ratios. The unemployment rate is based on the Current Weekly Status (CWS), where a person is considered unemployed if they did not work for at least one hour during the reference week but were available for work during that time.
(With inputs from TOI)
