MANGALURU: Karnataka has emerged as one of India’s strongest performers on the employment front, recording the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country at 2.8 per cent, significantly below the national average.
Replying to an unstarred question, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFs) for July-September 2025 pegged the all-India unemployment rate at 5.2 per cent for persons aged 15 years and above under the current weekly status.
Urban India continued to face greater stress, with unemployment at 6.9 per cent, compared to 4.4 per cent in rural areas. In Karnataka, rural unemployment stood at 2.5 per cent, while urban unemployment was 3.3 per cent, pointing to relatively stable labour market conditions across regions.
The state also posted a labour force participation rate of 57.3 per cent and a worker population ratio of 55.6 per cent, reflecting robust engagement in economic activity. Gujarat topped the national chart with an even lower unemployment rate of 2.2 per cent, with both rural and urban joblessness among the lowest in India.
Among southern states, Andhra Pradesh reported a higher unemployment rate of 8.2 per cent, followed by Kerala at 8.0 per cent. In Kerala, rural unemployment was marginally higher at 8.2 per cent, compared to 7.7 per cent in urban areas.
Tamil Nadu and Telangana both recorded an overall unemployment rate of 5.7 per cent, with urban unemployment remaining higher than rural in both states. The PLFS data also underscored a persistent gender gap in employment across the southern region.
In Karnataka, female unemployment at 3.0 per cent was slightly higher than male unemployment at 2.8 per cent. Kerala showed a sharper disparity, with female unemployment at 9.4 per cent against 7.2 per cent for men. Similar trends were observed in Tamil Nadu and Telangana, highlighting ongoing challenges in integrating women into the workforce.
Northern states continued to report relatively higher unemployment levels and sharper rural-urban divides. Uttarakhand recorded one of the highest rates at 8.9 per cent, while Rajasthan followed at 7.4 per cent, driven largely by acute urban stress where unemployment surged to 13.7 per cent.
Haryana and Punjab reported rates of 6.2 per cent and 6.5 per cent, respectively, Uttar Pradesh stood at 5.9 per cent, and Delhi recorded an overall unemployment rate of 6.6 per cent.
The government said employment indicators are estimated through the PLFS, while job-seeker registration is facilitated through the National Career Service portal, which currently has over 6.02 crore registered job seekers.
