According to the National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO) Periodic Labour Force Survey Annual Report 2022-2023, India's unemployment rate for those aged 15 and above fell to a six-year low of 3.2% between July 2022 and June 2023.
The percentage of unemployed people in the labour force of a particular country is referred to as the unemployment rate of that country.
Given the necessity of having labour force statistics available at more frequent periods, the NSSO introduced the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in April 2017.
Here, the reference period is from July 2022 to June 2023, according to a report by PTI.
The Unemployment Rate (UR) in normal status for those aged 15 and above in India fell to 3.2 per cent in 2022-23, down from 4.1 per cent in 2021-22.
According to the PLFS data issued on Monday, October 9, the UR over the years was:
4.2 per cent in 2020-21
4.8 per cent in 2019-20
5.8 per cent in 2018-19
6 per cent in 2017-18
The normal status denotes that a person's employment (status) is determined based on the 365-day reference period preceding the date of the survey.
According to the data statement, 2022-23 refers to the period from July 2022 to June 2023, as is the case for 2021-22, 2020-21, 2019-20, 2018-19, and 2017-18.
"In rural areas, UR decreased from 5.3 per cent in 2017-18 to 2.4 per cent in 2022-23 while for urban areas it decreased from 7.7 per cent to 5.4 per cent. The UR for males in India decreased from 6.1 per cent in 2017-18 to 3.3 per cent in 2022-23 and the corresponding decrease in UR for females was from 5.6 per cent to 2.9 per cent," it stated.
Status of labour participation
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons of 15 years and above also increased to 57.9 per cent in 2022-23, from 49.8 per cent in 2018-19, according to the survey. LFPR is the percentage of persons in the labour force – either working or seeking or available for work – within a country’s population.
"In rural areas, LFPR increased from 50.7 per cent in 2017-18 to 60.8 per cent in 2022-23, while for urban areas it increased from 47.6 per cent to 50.4 per cent. The LFPR for males in India increased from 75.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 78.5 per cent in 2022-23 and the corresponding increase in LFPR for females was from 23.3 per cent to 37.0 per cent," it stated.
Status of worker population
In addition, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also rose for persons aged 15 years and above to 56 per cent in 2022-23 from 46.8 per cent in 2017-18. The WPR of a country is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population of that country.
The report says, "In rural areas, WPR increased from 48.1 per cent in 2017-18 to 59.4 per cent in 2022-23 while for urban areas it increased from 43.9 per cent to 47.7 per cent. The WPR for males in India increased from 71.2 per cent in 2017-18 to 76.0 per cent in 2022-23 and the corresponding increase in WPR for females was from 22.0 per cent to 35.9 per cent.”
From 2017-18 to 2021-22, five Annual Reports were produced by NSSO on the basis of the data collected in PLFS. This year’s report is the sixth edition, based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey conducted from July 2022 to June 2023.
"The fieldwork for the collection of information in respect of the samples, allotted for the period of July 2022-June 2023, was completed timely for the first visit as well as revisit samples, except for 51 first visit and 68 revisit FSUs for the state of Manipur, allotted in the last quarter, April-June 2023, which were treated as casualties, due to disturbed field situation and unavailability of internet services," the report said.
