Lok Sabha Question No. 173 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2024-07-22
Subject: Unemployment in the Country
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Dr. Kalanidhi Veeraswamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.173 TO BE ANSWERED ON 22 ND  JULY, 2024

## UNEMPLOYMENT IN THE COUNTRY

## 173.     DR. KALANIDHI VEERASWAMY:

## Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government is aware that the country is gripped by unprecedented rising unemployment;
- (b) whether  the  Government  is  aware  that  unemployment  in  the organized/unorganized sector is at its peak;
- (c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor;
- (d) whether the Government is aware that unemployment has increased manifold during the last 10 years;
- (e) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor; and
- (f) the  steps  taken/to  be  taken  by  the  Government  to  emerge  from this?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a)  to  (f):  The  data  on  Employment  and  Unemployment  is  collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 201718. The survey period is July to June every year.

As  per  the  latest  available  Annual  PLFS  Reports,  the  estimated Unemployment  Rate  (UR),  including  organized/unorganized  sector  on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above during the years 201718 to 2022-23 are as follows:

(in %)

| Year    |   UR |
|---------|------|
| 2017-18 |  6   |
| 2018-19 |  5.8 |
| 2019-20 |  4.8 |
| 2020-21 |  4.2 |
| 2021-22 |  4.1 |
| 2022-23 |  3.2 |

Source: PLFS

The data indicates that the unemployment rate in the country has declining trend.

Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) Payroll Data 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 last six and half years (since September 2017 to March 2024) more than 6.2 crore net subscribers have joined EPFO indicating increase in formalization of employment.

The KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, M: Materials and S: Services) database published by  Reserve Bank of India's (RBI) provides employment  estimates  at  all  India  level.  As  per  the  latest  data  of  the database, provisional estimates for 2023-24, employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in year 2023-24 compared to 47.5 crore in 201718.  Total  increase  in  employment  during  2017-18  to  2023-24  is  about 16.83 crore.

Employment  generation  coupled  with  improving  employability  is the priority of the Government. Accordingly, the Government of India has taken various steps for generating employment in the country.

The  various  Ministries/  Departments  of  Government  of  India  like Ministry of Micro, Small &  Medium  Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development,  Ministry  of  Housing  &  Urban  Affairs,  Ministry  of  Finance, Ministry of Textile, etc. are implementing different employment generation  schemes/  programmes  like  Prime  Minister's  Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen  Kaushalya  Yojana  (DDU-GKY),  Rural  Self  Employment  and Training  Institutes  (RSETIs),    Deen  Dayal  Antodaya  Yojana-National Urban  Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NULM),  Pradhan  Mantri  Mudra  Yojana (PMMY),    etc.  The  details  of  various  employment  generation  schemes/ programmes being implemented by the Government of India may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes\_programmes.

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