Srinagar: Jammu & Kashmir stands at the top of the country’s unemployment charts, with an alarming 32 percent unemployment rate among jobseekers aged 15-29 in urban areas, as revealed by the latest quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
Female job seekers face an even bleaker reality, with the urban female unemployment rate soaring to 53.6 percent, the highest in the nation.
These figures position J&K above Odisha (30.4 percent), while states like Delhi and Gujarat boast significantly lower rates at 4.3 percent and 8.3 percent, respectively.
The survey, covering the July-September quarter, revealed that the overall unemployment rate for youth aged 15-29 in urban areas was 15.9 percent down from 16.8 percent in the April-June period. The unemployment rate across all age groups in urban areas fell to 6.4 percent in the July-September quarter from 6.6 percent in the previous quarter. The job market has gradually improved since the COVID-19 pandemic, supported by economic reopening.
The PLFS data measures unemployment in urban areas under the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
Among females, the unemployment rate in the July-September quarter was highest in Jammu & Kashmir at 53.6 percent, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 43.9 percent and Assam at 39.3 percent. Delhi and Gujarat recorded the lowest rates at 1.8 percent and 5.3 percent, respectively. Nationally, the overall unemployment rate among females stood at 21 percent, down from 23 percent in the previous quarter.
Among males, Odisha recorded the highest unemployment rate at 28.1 percent, followed by Andhra Pradesh at 22.5 percent and Bihar at 21.5 percent. Delhi recorded the lowest unemployment rate among males at 5 percent, followed by Himachal Pradesh at 6 percent.
“J&K’s heavy dependence on government sector employment has been a significant impediment to job creation. The private sector has not developed at the same pace as in other regions,” said a senior official.
The government has acknowledged these challenges, introducing incentive schemes to boost internships and create employment opportunities.
However, experts argue that more comprehensive, targeted interventions are necessary to address the structural unemployment issues.
The Directorate of Employment (DoE) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) reported that 3.52 lakh youth were registered as unemployed in the first quarter of 2024. Of these, 1.09 lakh are graduates and postgraduates, comprising 31 percent of the total.
