Question : Unemployment Situation in the Country

(a) whether the Government has any estimate of the number of people unemployed in the country as of 1-4-2019;
(b) if so, the details of the number of unemployed people year-wise between1-4-2014 and 31-3-2019;
(c) whether the Government has an estimate of the disguised unemployment in the country especially in the agriculture sector as of 1-4-2019, if so, the details thereof;
(d) whether the Government agree with the assessment of the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), an economics and business think-tank, as of 2018, unemployment in India had risen to 31 million individuals looking for jobs; and
(e) the steps taken by the Government to address the unemployment situation in the country?

(a) & (b): As per the results of annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation during 2017-18 and employment–unemployment survey conducted by Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the estimated unemployment rate on usual status (principal status+subsidiary status) basis for the persons of age 15 years and above is given below:
Survey* Year Unemployment Rate
2017-18(PLFS) 6.0%
Survey by Labour Bureau
2015-16 3.7%
2013-14 3.4%
(Note: * Survey methodology and sample selection are different in PLFS and Labour Bureau survey)


(c): No, Sir.
(d): Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) is a private Institution and the Government is not aware of the survey design and methodology adopted by the CMIE.
(e): Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government. Government has taken various steps towards generating employment in the country like encouraging private sector of economy, fast-tracking various projects involving substantial investment and increasing public expenditure on schemes such as Prime Minister’s Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY) and Deendayal Antodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM).
Pradhan Mantri Rojgar Protsahan Yojana (PMRPY) has been launched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment for incentivising employers for promoting employment generation. Under this scheme, Government is paying entire employer’s contribution (12% or as admissible) towards EPF and EPS for all eligible new employees for all sectors for 3 years.
Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY) has been initiated by Government inter alia for facilitating self-employment. Under PMMY collateral free loans upto Rs. 10 lakh, are extended to micro/small business enterprises and to individuals to enable them to setup or expand their business activities.
Government has implemented the National Career Service (NCS) Project which comprises a digital portal that provides a nation-wide online platform for the job seekers and employers for job-matching in a dynamic, efficient and responsive manner and has a repository of career content to job seekers.
Start-up India is a flagship initiative of the Government of India, intended to build a strong ecosystem that is conducive for the growth of start-up businesses, to drive sustainable economic growth and generate large scale employment opportunities.
Besides these initiatives, flagship programmes of the Government such as Make in India, Digital India, Swachh Bharat Mission, Smart City Mission, Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation, Housing for All, Infrastructure development and Industrial corridors have the potential to generate productive employment opportunities. Ministries/ Departments/ States run skill development schemes across various sectors to improve the employability of youth and also facilitate placements. Schemes such as the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) wherein Government reimburses 25 percent of the stipend payable to apprentices also enhances employability of the youth to access employment.
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