Lok Sabha Question No. 5133 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-04-02
Subject: Jobseekers in Rural and Urban India
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Rajeev Rai

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.5133 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02.04.2025

## JOBSEEKERS IN RURAL AND URBAN INDIA

## 5133.  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 during each of the last three years;
- (b) the number of persons unemployed, willing to work and active job seekers  enrolled  with  employment  exchanges  since  2016,  for rural and urban, year-wise;
- (c) the number of persons unemployed, willing to work but inactive in seeking  jobs,  rural  and  urban  during  the  last  three  years,  yearwise;
- (d) the number of underemployed, marginally attached and discouraged workers both rural and urban during each of the last three years; and
- (e) the number of persons employed, full-time and part-time, separately during each of the last three years for rural and urban India?

## 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  Periodic  Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS)  conducted  during  the periods July 2021- June 2022 to July 2023 - June 2024, the estimates of Labour Force Participation Rate (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  Periodic  Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS)  conducted  during  the periods July 2017- June 2018 to July 2023 - June 2024, the estimates of Unemployment  Rate  (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   | UR (in per cent) according to usual status (ps+ss) in   |
|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
|                 | Rural areas                                             | Urban 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 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted during the periods July 2021- June 2022 to July 2023 - June 2024, the estimates of Worker Population Ratio (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   |
|-----------------|---------------------------------------------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
|                 | 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

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