Youth unemployment rates in India lower than global levels: Govt

New Delhi, Nov 25 Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje cited statistics in the Lok Sabha on Monday to show that youth unemployment rates in India were lower than global levels.

The minister cited a report by the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Institute for Human Development (IHD) which states that the worldwide youth unemployment rate was 15.6 per cent in 2021.

Further, as per World Employment and Social Outlook Trends, 2024 by ILO, globally, in 2023, the youth unemployment rate was 13.3 per cent.

On the other hand, the latest annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)shows that unemployment rate for youth of age 15-29 years in India in the year 2023-24 was 10.2 per cent which is lower than global levels.

Further, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for youth indicating employment has increased from 31.4 per cent in 2017-18 to 41.7 per cent in 2023-24, the minister pointed out in a written reply in the Lower House.

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.

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 answer to another question, the minister stated that as per the latest annual PLFS reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons of age 15 years and above indicates that employment has shown an increasing trend while the unemployment rate reflects a decreasing trend over the years.

The KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, M: Materials and S: Services) database published by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) provides employment estimates at an 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 47.15 crore in 2014-15. Total increase in employment during 2014-15 to 2023-24 is about 17 crore.

She further states that to provide various employment related services to the youth of the country on a single platform, the government of India has launched National Career Service (NCS) portal which includes services like job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, internships etc., through the portal.

During the year 2024-25 (as on 15.11.2024), 1.12 crore vacancies were posted on NCS portal and more than 3.53 crore number of vacancies mobilised on the portal since its launch in 2015.

Further, the Central government has also launched MY Bharat platform which provides myriad opportunities for youth engagement through various organisations onboarded on the portal with a view to involve them in meaningful activities.

The MY Bharat portal is envisioned as a pivotal, technology-driven facilitator for youth development and youth-led development, with the overarching goal of providing equitable opportunities to empower the youth in realizing their aspirations.

She said that employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the government.

The various Ministries are implementing different employment generation schemes like Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY).

The government has also announced the Prime Minister's package of 5 schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs 2 lakh crore in the Budget 2024-25, Karandlaje added.