Srinagar: In an unsettling revelation, Jammu and Kashmir is at the top of the unemployment rate chart of the country. The latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data revealed that Jammu and Kashmir’s overall unemployment rate rose to 11.8 percent and also 32 percent of youth between 15 and 29 years were unemployed during the July–September quarter of 2024.
The data, released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, reveals that last year 29.8 percent of youth aged between 15 and 29 years were jobless in Jammu and Kashmir. But now the rate has zoomed by 7.38 percent to 32 percent in the July–September quarter this year. With 30.4 percent in 2024, Odisha ranks second, 45.45 percent up from 20.9 percent in the same quarter of 2023. Kerala, at third spot, reported 27.6 percent this quarter, 2.82 percent less than the 28.4 percent it recorded in the same quarter last year.
As per the data, Delhi and Gujarat are only the two states across the country that have had their jobless rates hovering below 10 percent. The data reveals that Delhi had only 4.3 percent unemployed persons during July–September quarter of 2024. Last year, 8.4 percent of Delhi residents were unemployed. The change in percentage reveals a decline of 48.8 percent in the unemployment rate of Delhi. Likewise, Gujarat had recorded 7.1 percent of unemployed last year. This year the state has seen a surge of 16.9 percent in the unemployment rate while recording 8.3 percent unemployed during July–September quarter of 2024.
Meanwhile, the nationwide unemployment rate among the 15–29 age group improved from 17.3 percent in the July–September quarter of last year to 15.9 percent in the same period this year, reflecting a nine percent decline.
The data also points out interesting changes in the unemployment rates among men and women. In the 15–29 age group, the women employment rate in Jammu and Kashmir increased to 53.6 percent in 2024, up from 51.8 percent in 2023, showing a 3.47 percent rise. Similarly, the unemployment rate among men in the same age group rose to 20.8 percent in 2024 from 19.8 percent in 2023, reflecting a 5.05 percent increase.
The data also reveals that Jammu and Kashmir has the highest number of unemployed women in the 15–29 age group across the country, while Odisha has the largest population of unemployed males (28.1 percent) in this age group.
Nationwide, the overall unemployment rate stood at 6.4 percent, down from 6.6 percent in the previous quarter, reflecting a 3 percent improvement. In the July-September quarter of 2024, Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest unemployment rate at 11.8 percent, followed by Odisha with 10.6 percent. Compared to the 10.7 percent unemployment rate in the same quarter last year, Jammu and Kashmir has seen an increase of 10.28 percent, while Odisha has experienced a 79.66 percent rise from last year's 5.9 percent.
Delhi, on the other hand, boasts the lowest overall unemployment rate in the country. During the July–September quarter of this year, Delhi's unemployment rate was recorded at 2.6 percent. Compared to the 3.6 percent rate registered in the same quarter last year. The change in percentage reflects that Delhi has improved by 27.77 percent.
As per the data, the country's overall unemployment rate for men, recorded during July–September quarter, this year, was 5.7 percent while for women it was at 8.4 percent. The rate stood at 6.2 percent for men and 8.6 percent for women during the same quarter last year, which represents a 5 percent and 2.32 percent drop, respectively.
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