Parliament Question: Educated unemployed youth in Tamil Nadu

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 4425 TO BE ANSWERED ON 02ND APRIL, 2026 EDUCATED UNEMPLOYED YOUTH IN TAMIL NADU 4425. DR. KANIMOZHI NVN SOMU: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether Government has conducted any recent assessment of educated unemployed youth in Tamil Nadu and if so, the details thereof; (b) the latest unemployment rate in the State compared with the national average; and (c) whether Government has examined the social and economic impact of youth unemployment and if so, whether any special employment initiatives or region-specific measures are proposed for the State? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (c): The official data on Employment and Unemployment is collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted by Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. As per the latest Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in the year 2023-24 was 3.2% in the country and 3.5% in the State of Tamil Nadu. Also, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for youth of age 15-29 years has decreased from 25.6% in 2017-18 to 15.3% in 2023-24 in the State of Tamil Nadu. Further, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above of different general education level during 2017-18 and 2023-24 in the State of Tamil Nadu is as follows: Unemployment Rate (in %) General Education Level 2017-18 2023-24 Literate & Upto Primary 1.0 0 Middle 4.4 1.1 Secondary 6.6 2.4 Higher Secondary 10.6 2.9 Graduate 25.8 14.1 Secondary & above 15.4 7.3 Source: PLFS, MoSPIThe above data shows that the Unemployment Rate for different general education level has also decreased over the years in the State of Tamil Nadu. Employment generation coupled with improving employability is a priority of the Government. Accordingly, Government is implementing various employment generation schemes/ programmes in the country(including Tamil Nadu). The details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes being implemented by the Government may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes. Government is also implementing Skill India Mission (SIM) to deliver skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres/ schools/ colleges /institutes etc. under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated ‘FutureSkills PRIME’ a programme for Re-skilling/Up-skilling of IT Manpower for Employability in 10 new/emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence. Government is implementing Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme named as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to support employment generation, enhance employability and social security across all sectors, with special focus on the manufacturing sector. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 Crore aims to incentivize the creation of more than 3.5 Crore jobs in the country, over a period of 2 years. Further, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, is running the National Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a one-stop solution for providing career related services including jobs from private and government sectors, information on online & offline job fairs, job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, skill/training programmes etc. through a digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in]. *****