**Executive Summary:**
The Ministry of Labour and Employment addresses schemes aimed at increasing employment opportunities for youth and women. Various government programs like PMMY, Stand-Up India, and MGNREGS are in place. Data indicates a rise in total estimated employment from 47.15 crores in 2014-15 to 64.33 crores in 2023-24, and a decrease in the unemployment rate from 6.0% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24.
**Key Points / Main Content:**
*Government Initiatives:*
* The government prioritizes employment generation and employability for youth and women.
* Multiple schemes and programs are being implemented, including Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Stand-Up India Scheme, Startup India, Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), SERB-POWER (Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research), Mission Shakti, Namo Drone Didi and Lakhpati Didi, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), PM Street Vendor's AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), and Production Linked Incentive.
* The Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme has been approved to support employment generation, enhance employability, and social security, focusing on the manufacturing sector.
*Employment Data:*
* Total estimated employment in India increased from 47.15 crores in 2014-15 to 64.33 crores in 2023-24, a growth of 36.44%.
* The KLEMS database provides employment estimates across 27 industries.
*NCS Portal:*
* The National Career Service (NCS) Portal (www.ncs.gov.in) offers career-related services, including job postings, job fairs, career counseling, and skill development information.
* As of June 30, 2025, over 6.2 crore vacancies from government, private, and public sectors have been mobilized on the NCS Portal.
*Unemployment Rate (UR) and Worker Population Ratio (WPR):*
* The unemployment rate for individuals aged 15 years and above decreased from 6.0% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24.
* The unemployment rate for women aged 15 years and above decreased from 5.6% to 3.2%.
* The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for individuals aged 15 years and above increased from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 58.2% in 2023-24.
* The WPR for women aged 15 years and above increased from 22.0% to 40.3%.
* In Karnataka, the WPR for women aged 15 years and above increased from 24.8% in 2017-18 to 37.2% in 2023-24.
*Data Source:*
* Employment and unemployment data is collected through the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18.
* Detailed reports on UR and WPR are available on the MoSPI website.
**Impact Analysis:**
* *Job Seekers (Youth and Women):*
* *Impact:* Increased access to job opportunities and skill development programs.
* *Action Required:* Utilize the NCS portal and participate in available schemes to enhance employability.
* *Employers (Government, Private, and Public Sectors):*
* *Impact:* Opportunity to find qualified candidates through the NCS portal and contribute to employment generation.
* *Action Required:* Post job vacancies on the NCS portal and participate in employment-linked incentive schemes.
* *Policy Makers and Government Agencies:*
* *Impact:* Monitoring and evaluation of employment generation schemes and their impact on unemployment rates.
* *Action Required:* Continue implementing and refining employment schemes based on PLFS data and feedback.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana: A government scheme (PMMY) aimed at providing loans to non-corporate, non-farm small/micro enterprises.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A government scheme (MGNREGS) guaranteeing wage employment in rural areas.
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana National Rural Livelihoods Mission: A government scheme (DAYNRLM) focused on poverty reduction through promotion of self-employment.
Karnataka: A state in India, specifically mentioned regarding female employment rates.
Uttar Pradesh: A state in India, specifically mentioned in the context of job creation.
Ministry of Labour and Employment: The government ministry responsible for labour and employment-related policies and schemes.
National Career Service: A digital platform (NCS Portal) providing career-related services including job postings and skill development information.
Periodic Labour Force Survey: A survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation to collect data on employment and unemployment.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 204
TO BE ANSWERED ON 21st JULY, 2025
SCHEMES FOR INCREASING JOB OPPORTUNITIES
204. SHRI BHOJRAJ NAG:
SHRI SUKHJINDER SINGH RANDHAWA:
SHRI PRAVEEN PATEL:
SHRI DAMODAR AGRAWAL:
SHRI LUMBARAM CHOUDHARY:
SHRI DINESHBHAI MAKWANA:
SHRI P C MOHAN:
SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:
DR. RAJESH MISHRA:
SHRI MADHAVANENI RAGHUNANDAN RAO:
SHRI MANOJ TIWARI:
SHRI RAJKUMAR CHAHAR:
SHRI GODAM NAGESH:
Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the schemes being implemented by the Government
to increase the employment opportunities for youth and women;
(b) the details of the number of Government and Private jobs created
over the decade from 2014 to 2025 in the country, State-wise
including Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka;
(c) whether there has been any decline in the unemployment rate due
to the efforts made by the Government and if so, the details
thereof, State/UT and year-wise;
(d) the extent to which the female employment rate have increased
over the years, State-wise, including Karnataka, especially in
Bengaluru; and
(e) whether the employment rate has increased and unemployment
rate has decreased in the country, State/UT-wise including Sidhi
Lok Sabha Constituency and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)
(a) to (e): Employment generation coupled with improving employability
for youth and women is the priority of the Government.Accordingly, Government is implementing various employment
generation schemes/ programmes in the country. These inter-alia include
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Stand-UP India Scheme, Startup
India, Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP),
Women in Science and Engineering- KIRAN (WISE-KIRAN), SERB-POWER
(Promoting Opportunities for Women in Exploratory Research), Mission
Shakti, Namo Drone Didi and Lakhpati Didi, Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana- National Rural Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NRLM), Deen Dayal
Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self
Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), PM Street
Vendor’s AtmaNirbhar Nidhi (PM SVANidhi), Production Linked Incentive,
etc. The details of various employment generation schemes/
programmes being implemented by the Government of India may be seen
at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes .
In addition, the Union Cabinet has approved the Employment
Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme to support employment generation,
enhance employability and social security across all sectors, with
special focus on the manufacturing sector.
The KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, M: Materials and S:
Services) database published by Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) covers 27
industries comprising of the entire Indian economy and provides
employment estimates across 27 industries. As per the latest data, total
estimated employment in the country has increased to 64.33 crores
(Provisional) during 2023-24 as compared to 47.15 crores during 2014-15,
which indicates a growth of 36.44% during the period.
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]. As on 30.06.2025, more than 6.2 crore
(which inter-alia include Government, Private and Public Sector
Undertaking) vacancies have been mobilised on NCS Portal.
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.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, the UR for women (age 15 years and above) has
decreased from 5.6% to 3.2%.
Further, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR), indicating
employment on usual status, for persons of age 15 years and above has
increased from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 58.2% in 2023-24. Also, the WPR for
women (age 15 years and above) has increased from 22.0% to 40.3%.
The estimated WPR on usual status for female (15 years and above) in
the State of Karnataka has increased from 24.8% in 2017-18 to 37.2% in
2023-24.
State/UT-wise details of Unemployment (UR) and Worker
Population Ratio (WPR) including for women are available in the PLFS
reports and may be seen at https://www.mospi.gov.in/download-
reports?main_cat=ODU5&cat=All&sub_category=All
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