Parliament Question: Status of Employment among Educated Youth

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1165 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27TH JULY, 2026 STATUS OF EMPLOYMENT AMONG EDUCATED YOUTH 1165. SHRI SASIKANTH SENTHIL: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) the details of the estimated rate of unemployment among youth aged between 15 to 29 years, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey in the country during the last three years; (b) whether unemployment among educated and graduate youth exceeds the general rate and if so, the details thereof; (c) the details of the net addition to formal employment as reflected in Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) payroll data during the said period; and (d) the details of the specific measures taken by the Government to generate formal employment for educated youth in the country including in Tamil Nadu? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (d): Official estimates of employment and unemployment in India are derived from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation since 2017–18. The PLFS methodology was revamped with effect from January 2025. The PLFS Annual Report 2025 is the first report in the revised series to present labour market estimates, covering the period from January to December 2025. As per latest PLFS report 2025, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) for youth of age 15-29 years was 10.9% in 2022, 10.0% in 2023, 10.3% in 2024 and 9.9% in 2025 in the country. Also, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased from 3.6% in 2022 to 3.1% in 2025 in the country. The UR for educated persons of age 15 years and above during 2025 is as follows:Unemployment Rate (in %) Particulars 2025 not literate 0.3 literate & up to primary 0.6 middle 1.6 secondary & above 6.5 Graduates 11.2 Source : PLFS, MoSPI Further, more than 8.23 crore net subscribers have joined Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) between September 2017 and July 2025 indicating increase in employment and formalization of the job market. Also, more than 1.29 crore net subscribers have joined EPFO during the year 2024-25. 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 in 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. Additionally, 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]. *****