The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), carried out by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), has reported that the unemployment rate in the country has shown a decrease between April and June 2023. Similarly, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons of age 15 years and above and the Worker-Population Ratio (WPR) have also improved during the period. This national survey processed details from 5,639 first-stage sampling units (FSUs) and 1,67,916 people from 44,190 urban houses.
The LFPR in urban areas increased from 47.5% in April-June 2022 to 48.8% in April-June 2023 for persons of age 15 years and above. “While it hovered around 73.5% for male during this period, for female, the LFPR increased from 20.9% to 23.2% during this period,” the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said in a release here on Monday.
The WPR in urban areas increased from 43.9% in April-June 2022 to 45.5% in similar months in this year for persons of age 15 years and above. For male, it increased from 68.3% to 69.2% and for female, it increased from 18.9% to 21.1% during this period.
The PLFS claimed a decreasing trend in Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons of age 15 years and above. “UR in urban areas decreased from 7.6% in April-June 2022 to 6.6% in April-June 2023 for persons of age 15 years and above. For male, it decreased from 7.1% to 5.9% during this period and for female, it decreased from 9.5% to 9.1% during this period,” the PLFS report said.
Key indicators
The Centre also claimed improvement in key labour market indicators in urban areas compared to those in pre-pandemic period (April-June 2018 to October–December 2019). The LFPR ranged from 46.2% to 47.8% during the pre-pandemic period and in the latest report it was 48.8%. The WPR was between 41.8% and 44.1% before the pandemic and now it is 45.5%. The Unemployment Rate ranged between 7.8% and 9.7% during the pre-pandemic period and at the latest survey it was 6.6%, which, according to the Centre, is lower than the unemployment rates observed in the quarters covered in the pre-pandemic period.
