Question : Unemployment Rate

(a) whether the estimated unemployment rate shot up to a 27 month high of 7.38 per cent in December, 2018 as revealed by Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy database on ‘Unemployment Rate in India’;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the facts in this regard;

(c) whether the number of those employed in rural areas and urban areas dropped significantly in the past few years and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether there has been a dip in the estimated labour participation rate also; and

(e) if so, the details thereof along with the corrective measures taken proposed to be taken by the Government in this regard?

MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
(SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a) to (e): Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) is a private Institution and the Government is not aware of the survey design and methodology adopted by it. However, as per the results of available in the annual Employment-Unemployment Survey conducted by the Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, the estimated Unemployment Rate, Worker Population Ratio and Labour Force Participation Rate of rural and urban persons aged 15 years and above on usual status basis in the country is given below:

Year 2012-13 2013-14 2015-16
Labour Force Participation Rate (in %) Rural 55.5 58.8 55.8
Urban 46.7 47.9 43.7
Rural + Urban 53.1 55.6 52.4
Worker Population Ratio
(in %) Rural 53.6 57.1 53.9
Urban 44.2 45.5 41.8
Rural + Urban 51.0 53.7 50.5
Unemployment Rate
(in %) Rural 3.5 2.9 3.4
Urban 5.3 4.9 4.4
Rural + Urban 4.0 3.4 3.7

Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government. Government has taken various steps for 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 Deendyal 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. Till 28-01-2019, the scheme has covered 1,29,916 establishments and 1.05 crore beneficiaries.

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. Uptill 25th January, 2019, a cumulative total loans of 15.59 crore were sanctioned under the scheme.

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.

Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) is the flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE). The objective of this Skill Certification Scheme is to enable a large number of Indian youth to take up industry-relevant skill training that will help them in securing a better livelihood and to meet their employment requirement.
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