Lok Sabha Question No. 2893 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-06
Subject: Unemployment in the Country
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2893 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025

## UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRY

## 2893.  SHRI RAJEEV RAI:

Will  the  Minister  of  STATISTICS  AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) the  number  of  persons  in  the  labour  force  both  rural  and  urban areas during the last three years, year wise;
- (b) the number of persons unemployed, willing to work and active job seekers enrolled with employment exchanges since 2016 for rural and urban areas, year-wise;
- (c) the number of persons unemployed, willing to work but inactive in seeking  jobs  in  rural  and  urban  areas  for  the  last  three  years, year-wise;
- (d) the number of underemployed, marginally attached and discouraged workers in rural and urban areas for last three years therein, year-wise; and
- (e) the  number  of  persons  employed,  full-time,  part-time, separately for the last three years for rural and urban areas, year-wise?

## ANSWER

MINISTER  OF  STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE)  OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE [RAO INDERJIT SINGH]

- (a) to (e): National  Statistics Office (NSO)  under  the  Ministry  of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been conducting Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) since 2017 to estimate various indicators related to employment and unemployment situation in the country. PLFS gives estimates of key employment and

unemployment  indicators  such  as  Labour  Force  Participation  Rates (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate (UR), etc.

From the PLFS conducted during the periods July 2021- June 2022 to July 2023 - June 2024, the estimates of LFPR in usual status (ps+ss) for both rural and urban areas are given in Table below:

Labour  Force  Participation  Rate  (LFPR)  (in  per  cent)  according  to usual status (ps+ss) in rural and urban areas from PLFS 2021-22, 202223 and 2023-24

All-India

| survey (year)   | LFPR (in percent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   | LFPR (in percent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   |
|-----------------|----------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| survey (year)   | Rural areas                                              | Urban areas                                              |
| PLFS, 2021-22   | 42.2                                                     | 39.0                                                     |
| PLFS, 2022-23   | 43.4                                                     | 39.8                                                     |
| PLFS, 2023-24   | 46.8                                                     | 41.0                                                     |

Source: Annual Report, PLFS, 2023-24

Note: 2023-24 refers to the period July 2023 - June 2024 likewise for 2022-23 and 2021-22

From the PLFS conducted during the periods July 2017- June 2018 to July 2023 - June 2024, the estimates of UR in usual status (ps+ss) for both rural and urban areas are given in Table below:

Unemployment  Rate  (UR)  (in  per  cent)  according  to  usual  status (ps+ss) in rural and urban areas from PLFS

All-India

| survey (year)   | UR (in per cent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   | UR (in per cent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   |
|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
|                 | Rural areas                                             | Urban areas                                             |
| PLFS, 2017-18   | 5.3                                                     | 7.8                                                     |
| PLFS, 2018-19   | 5.0                                                     | 7.7                                                     |
| PLFS, 2019-20   | 4.0                                                     | 7.0                                                     |
| PLFS, 2020-21   | 3.3                                                     | 6.7                                                     |
| PLFS, 2021-22   | 3.3                                                     | 6.3                                                     |
| PLFS, 2022-23   | 2.4                                                     | 5.4                                                     |
| PLFS, 2023-24   | 2.5                                                     | 5.1                                                     |

Source: Annual Report, PLFS, 2023-24

Note: 2023-24 refers to the period July 2023 - June 2024 likewise for 2022-23, 2021-22, 2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19 and 2017-18

From the PLFS conducted during the periods July 2021- June 2022 to July 2023 - June 2024, the estimates of WPR in usual status (ps+ss)

for both rural and urban areas and Percentage distribution of workers in  usual  status  (ps+ss)  by  status  in  employment  in  both  rural  and urban areas are given in Tables below:

Worker Population Ratio (WPR) (in per cent) according to usual status (ps+ss)  in  rural  and  urban  areas  from  PLFS  2021-22,  2022-23  and 2023-24

All-India

| survey (year)   | WPR (in percent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   | WPR (in percent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   |
|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| survey (year)   | Rural areas                                             | Urban areas                                             |
| PLFS, 2021-22   | 40.8                                                    | 36.6                                                    |
| PLFS, 2022-23   | 42.3                                                    | 37.7                                                    |
| PLFS, 2023-24   | 45.6                                                    | 38.9                                                    |

Source: Annual Report, PLFS, 2023-24

Note: 2023-24 refers to the period July 2023 - June 2024 likewise for 2022-23 and 2021-22

Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) by status in  employment  in  both  rural  and  urban  areas  from  PLFS  2021-22, 2022-23 and 2023-24

All-India

| survey (year)   | Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) among rural areas in   | Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) among rural areas in   | Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) among rural areas in   |
|-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| survey (year)   | Self employed                                                                     | Regular wage / salary                                                             | Casual Labour                                                                     |
| PLFS, 2021-22   | 61.5                                                                              | 12.5                                                                              | 25.9                                                                              |
| PLFS, 2022-23   | 63.0                                                                              | 12.2                                                                              | 24.8                                                                              |
| PLFS, 2023-24   | 64.7                                                                              | 12.7                                                                              | 22.5                                                                              |

| survey (year)   | Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) among urban areas in   | Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) among urban areas in   | Percentage distribution of workers in usual status (ps+ss) among urban areas in   |
|-----------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| survey (year)   | Self employed                                                                     | Regular wage / salary                                                             | Casual Labour                                                                     |
| PLFS, 2021-22   | 39.5                                                                              | 47.1                                                                              | 13.4                                                                              |
| PLFS, 2022-23   | 39.6                                                                              | 48.0                                                                              | 12.4                                                                              |
| PLFS, 2023-24   | 40.4                                                                              | 47.5                                                                              | 12.1                                                                              |

Source: Annual Report, PLFS, 2023-24

Note: 2023-24 refers to the period July 2023 - June 2024 likewise for 2022-23 and 2021-22