Youth unemployment continues to hit Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh, with all three states recording higher unemployment than the national average, as per the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) April–June 2025 data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
State-wise data
As per a report by The Times of India, Himachal Pradesh has emerged as the worst-hit state. Despite a relatively high labour force participation, the state’s youth unemployment rate touched 29.6 per cent, double the all-India average of 14.6 per cent. Rural unemployment stood at 29.1 per cent, while urban figures were even higher at 31.3 per cent.
Gender gaps were striking: among young women, joblessness shot up to 32.5 per cent in rural areas and 41.2 per cent in urban centres, compared to 26.3 per cent and 24 per cent for young men.
Punjab too continues to struggle with above-average joblessness, reporting a youth unemployment rate of 20.2 per cent. Rural areas were worse affected (22.1 per cent) than urban (17.8 per cent).
Haryana fared better, with a combined youth unemployment rate of 15.6 per cent, closer to the national average. However, rural joblessness (16.2 per cent) remained slightly higher than urban (14.9 per cent).
Labour force participation
In terms of labour force participation — the share of people working, seeking, or available for work — Himachal Pradesh led with 47.1 per cent, followed by Punjab at 45.9 per cent, both higher than the national average of 42 per cent. Haryana, however, lagged at 35.7 per cent.
The worker population ratio (WPR), which indicates the proportion of employed persons in the total population, was highest in Punjab at 36.6 per cent, followed by Himachal at 33.2 per cent, and Haryana at 30.1 per cent, compared to the national figure of 35.8 per cent.
Employment patterns
The structure of employment showed wide variation across the three states:
Punjab: 24.2 per cent in agriculture, 33.7 per cent in secondary sector (manufacturing, construction, utilities), 42.2 per cent in services.
Haryana: 24.4 per cent in agriculture, 31.2 per cent in industry, 44.5 per cent in services.
Himachal Pradesh: 53 per cent in agriculture, 19.7 per cent in industry, 27.3 per cent in services.
At the all-India level, the employment distribution was 39.5 per cent in agriculture, 26.6 per cent in industry, and 33.9 per cent in services.
