Parliament Question: National Employment Rate

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 03 TO BE ANSWERED ON 01ST DECEMBER, 2025 NATIONAL EMPLOYMENT RATE 03. SHRI BHASKAR MURLIDHAR BHAGARE: PROF. VARSHA EKNATH GAIKWAD: SHRI MOHITE PATIL DHAIRYASHEEL RAJSINH: DR. AMOL RAMSING KOLHE: SMT. SUPRIYA SULE: SHRI SANJAY DINA PATIL: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that the national unemployment rate has slightly increased to 5.2 per cent in September 2025 from 5.1 per cent in August 2025, with rural unemployment rising from 4.3 per cent to 4.6 per cent and urban unemployment from 6.7 per cent to 6.8 per cent and if so, the reasons therefor; (b) whether similar trends have been observed by the Government in the State of Maharashtra, particularly in rural and urban districts; (c) if so, the details of the measures taken by the Government to address the rise in rural unemployment in Maharashtra, especially among youth and women/SC/ST; (d) whether the Government has evaluated the effectiveness of employment generation schemes in the State of Maharashtra and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor; (e) whether the Government proposes any special initiatives to support job creation in Maharashtra’s industrial, agricultural and services sectors in light of the national unemployment trends showing a fall from 6.0 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.2 per cent in 2023- 24 and if so, the details thereof; and (f) the other steps taken by the Government to enhance job opportunities for women, SC and ST categories in both rural and urban regions in the country?ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (f): The official data on Employment and Unemployment is collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18. As per the latest available 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. Also, MoSPI has revamped PLFS from January 2025. As per monthly PLFS reports, the Unemployment Rate (UR) on Current Weekly Status (CWS) for persons of age 15 years and above was 5.1% in August 2025 & 5.2% in September 2025, rural unemployment was 4.3% and 4.6 % and urban unemployment was 6.7% and 6.8% during the same period. Changes are expected in the monthly PLFS ratios due to increased frequency and seasonal changes but do not necessarily reflect secular trends. However, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in Maharashtra has decreased from 4.8% in 2017-18 to 3.3% in 2023-24. Also, Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above in Maharashtra for rural areas has decreased from 3.2% in 2017-18 to 2.1% in 2023-24 and in urban areas has decreased from 7.4% to 5.2% during the same period. 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 Maharashtra to boost the participation of all (including women, SC and ST categories in both rural and urban regions). These inter-alia include Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deen Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY- NULM), PM Street Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Stand-up India Scheme, Start Up India ,Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), etc. The details of variousemployment generation schemes/programmes being implemented by the Government may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes. 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. To enhance the employability of female workers, the Government is providing training to them through a network of Women Industrial Training Institutes, National Vocational Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. AICTE also offers meritorious women engineering students’ scholarships such as PRAGATI and Saraswati, thereby fostering a supportive environment for women in these disciplines. In addition to the above, Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has also launched AI Career for Women Initiative in April 2025 where over a period of two years, training and enabling economic opportunities for girls would be the focus of the programme. The Ministry of Women and Child Development is implementing ‘Palna’ component under Mission Shakti for all States/UTs, under which providing day care facilities and protection of children is the main focus area. Under Palna, Ministry has extended free services of childcare through Anganwadi cum Creches (AWCC). Government has also launched “NAVYA’ (Nurturing Aspirations through Vocational Training for Young Adolescent Girls) with an aim to equip adolescent girls aged 16 to 18 years with vocational training mainly in non-traditional and emerging job roles. In addition, the 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]. Ministry of Labour and Employment is also implementing the “Welfare of SC/ST jobseekers Scheme” through the network of 25 National Career Service Centres for SC/ST (NCSC-SC/STs) across the country to enhance the employability of SC/ST jobseekers through pre recruitment training, vocational guidance, career counselling and computer training etc. with a view to prepare them to meet the demands of the labour market. Also, Department of Social Justice and Empowerment (DoSJ&E)launched the Pradhan Mantri – Dakshta Aur Kushalta Sampann Hitgrahi (PM-DAKSH) Scheme in 2020-21, for providing skill training to SCs, OBCs, EWSs, DNTs, Safai Karamcharis including Waste Pickers through the empaneled training institutes and make them employable in both wage-employment and self-employment. A number of protective provisions have been incorporated in the labour laws for equal opportunity and congenial work environment for women workers. The Code on Social Security, 2020 has the provisions for a paid maternity leave of 26 weeks, provision for mandatory crèche facility in the establishments having 50 or more employees, etc. Further, the Code on Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions (OSH), 2020 has the provisions that women shall be entitled to be employed in all establishments for all types of work and they may be employed, with their consent before 6 am and beyond 7 p.m. subject to such conditions relating to safety, holidays and working hours or any other conditions to be observed by the employer as may be prescribed by the appropriate Government. The Union Budget (2024-25) announced setting up of working women hostels in collaboration with industry, and establishing crèches, for increasing participation of women in the workforce. *****