The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Friday released India’s first-ever district-level labour market indicators, showing a mixed employment picture across the country, with around 78% of districts recording an unemployment rate (UR) of 0.5-5.5% among people aged 15 years and above.
The unemployment rates, measured under the usual status approach, were concentrated in the moderate range, MoSPI said in a release. Around 43.1% of districts recorded a UR of 0.5-3%, while 34.7% reported a rate of 3-5.5%. Only 7.2% of districts had a UR below 0.5%, while 14.9% recorded a rate above 5.5%.
The labour force participation rate (LFPR) estimates of about 98.8% of districts and worker population ratio (WPR) estimates of around 98.3% of districts fell within 40-80%.
Around 57.8% of districts recorded a female LFPR of 40% or above. Among the districts selected from each state’s 10 most populous districts by female population, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest female LFPR and WPR at 80.9% and 80%, respectively.
Among the 100 most populous districts, Surat in Gujarat and Araria in Bihar recorded the highest LFPR. Surat and Araria also saw the highest WPR. South-24 Parganas in West Bengal, and Araria had the lowest UR at 0.9% each.
Ernakulam in Keralam and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu reported the lowest NEET (not in employment, education or training) rates among youth aged 15-29 years. Over 76% of districts recorded NEET rates below 30%, while 23.7% reported rates above 30%.
“Reliable and timely statistics at the sub-State level are essential for understanding the diversity of socio-economic conditions across the country and for supporting evidence-based planning and policy formulation. While national and State-level indicators provide an overall picture, district-level statistics offer a more granular perspective on the changing economic and labour market landscape,” Geeta Singh Rathore, director general, National Sample Survey, said in the report.