Parliament Question: Strengthening Youth Employment and Workforce Participation

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3550 TO BE ANSWERED ON 10TH AUGUST, 2026 STRENGTHENING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT AND WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION 3550. SHRI M MALLESH BABU: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government has considered the findings of the Youth Well-being Index 2025 highlighting that nearly 23 per cent of the youth population below 35 years in Karnataka is outside employment, education and skill training and if so, the details thereof; (b) the details of measures taken by the Government to strengthen employment opportunities, career guidance, labour market information and workforce participation for the youth of Kolar district; (c) the details of employment services, job fairs, National Career Service (NCS) centres, Model Career Centres and employment-linked initiatives supported by the Government in Kolar; (d) whether the Government has assessed the employment profile, youth unemployment, migration for employment, women's workforce participation and demand for skilled manpower in the said district and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the details of steps taken by the Government to promote local employment generation, industry linkages, placement support and sustainable livelihood opportunities for the youth of the said district? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (e): 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.As per latest PLFS report 2025, the estimated percentage of persons not in employment, education or training (NEET) on usual status was 17.1% for persons of age 15-24 years, 20.8% for persons of age 15- 29 years and 23.2% for persons of age 30-59 during the year 2025 in the State of Karnataka. Further, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has increased from 53.7% in 2022 to 58.0% in 2025 and the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased from 2.7% in 2022 to 2.3% in 2025 in the State of Karnataka. Also, the estimated UR for youth of age 15-29 years has decreased from 9.3% in 2022 to 8.6% in 2025 and the estimated Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for females of age 15 years and above has increased from 33.9% in 2022 to 39.8% in 2025 in the State of Karnataka. 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]. Government has approved 407 Model Career Centres across the country including 14 in the State of Karnataka and more than 67474 job fairs (of which 2643 in the State of Karnataka) have been organised in the country till 15.07.2026. 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 the Kolar district in the State of Karnataka). The details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes being implemented by the Government may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmesAdditionally, 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. The Ministry of MSME launched Udyam Registration Portal on 01.07.2020 for formalizing enterprises, expanding access to government support and strengthening the MSME ecosystem. A total of 8.9 crore Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been registered on Udyam Registration Portal, including Udyam Assist Platform (UAP), providing employment to over 39 crore people across the country. 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. Also, 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. *****