Parliament Question: Jobs in rural areas

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1537 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12TH FEBRUARY, 2026 JOBS IN RURAL AREAS 1537. SMT. JEBI MATHER HISHAM: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) the gender-wise unemployment rates in the country compared with 2014, along with trends during the last eleven years; (b) the gender-wise data on unemployment, separately for youth aged 15–29 and for educated youth; (c) the gender-wise unemployment data on adults aged 30–59 years, including comparative figures for illiterate persons and graduates; (d) the state/UT-wise data and during the last five years on jobs created in rural areas, including villages; and (e) the measures taken to create local employment under the ‘jahaan ghar, wahi naukri’ approach in agriculture, textiles, housing, healthcare and education? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (e): 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 has decreased from 6.0% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24 in the country and 6.1% to 3.2% for males and 5.6% to 3.2% for females during the same period. Prior to PLFS, Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) was conducted by the Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment for the years 2010-11 to 2016-17. The MoSPI also used to conduct quinquennial employment and unemployment survey. The last such survey was conducted during 2011-12. Results of these surveys viz. PLFS, EUS and quinquennial employment and unemployment survey are not comparable due to different sampling methodology and coverage.Further, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for youth of age 15-29 years of different general education level during 2017-18 and 2023-24 is as follows: Unemployment Rate (in %) General Education 2017-18 2023-24 Level Male Female Male Female Literate & Upto 9.8 2.1 3.4 1.0 Primary Middle 14.7 8.3 5.0 2.2 Secondary 14.7 12.8 5.4 3.5 Higher Secondary 20.3 24.7 9.3 7.6 Secondary & 23.5 32.5 13.8 19.2 above Source: PLFS, MoSPI Also, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15-59 years has decreased from 6.5% in 2017-18 to 3.5% in 2023-24 in the country and 6.6% to 3.5% for males and 6.0% to 3.4% for females during the same period. In addition, the estimated UR on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased from 1.2% in 2017-18 to 0.2% in 2023-24 for not literates and 17.2% to 13.0% for graduates during the same period. As per the latest Annual PLFS reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in the rural areas of the country is 53.3% in 2019-20, 55.5% in 2020-21, 55.6% in 2021-22, 59.4% in 2022-23 and 62.1% in 2023-24. State/UT-wise, geneder-wise, education-wise detailed information is available in the PLFS reports which may be seen at the website of MoSPI at https://www.mospi.gov.in/publications- reports. 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 rural areas. 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. 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]. *****