Joblessness rate among youth rose to 26% in Q1 – Times of India
Youth unemployment in urban areas across India rose sharply to 25.5% in the April-June quarter of 2021 and remained in double digits thereafter as the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic battered economic activities and dealt a severe impact on jobs.
According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey, Kerala had the maximum joblessness rate of 47% in the 15-29 year age group in the first quarter of this financial year.
All 22 states covered by the survey recorded double-digit unemployment rate in this age category.
The overall unemployment rate across all ages in the country for the June quarter of 2021-2022 had surged to 12.6% from 9.3% in the previous quarter.
The overall youth unemployment rate had spiked to 34.7% in April-June quarter of 2020 when the first wave of the pandemic had taken a massive toll on growth and jobs. Some states witnessed a marginal slowdown in the joblessness rate in the June quarter of 2021 compared to the previous quarter. These states included Delhi, Karnataka, Assam, Punjab and Odisha where the unemployment rate slowed from the previous quarter but still remained in double digits. In Gujarat, the rate surged to 11.6% in the April-June quarter compared with the 7.7% recorded in the previous quarter.
According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey, Kerala had the maximum joblessness rate of 47% in the 15-29 year age group in the first quarter of this financial year.
All 22 states covered by the survey recorded double-digit unemployment rate in this age category.
The overall unemployment rate across all ages in the country for the June quarter of 2021-2022 had surged to 12.6% from 9.3% in the previous quarter.
The overall youth unemployment rate had spiked to 34.7% in April-June quarter of 2020 when the first wave of the pandemic had taken a massive toll on growth and jobs. Some states witnessed a marginal slowdown in the joblessness rate in the June quarter of 2021 compared to the previous quarter. These states included Delhi, Karnataka, Assam, Punjab and Odisha where the unemployment rate slowed from the previous quarter but still remained in double digits. In Gujarat, the rate surged to 11.6% in the April-June quarter compared with the 7.7% recorded in the previous quarter.
Among women in the 15-29 years category, the unemployment rate was higher at 31% in the April-June quarter compared with 24% for men during the same period, indicating that women bore the bigger brunt of joblessness during the Covid-19 curbs.
Jammu & Kashmir topped the list for women unemployment with a rate of 67.3%, followed by Kerala 59.2%, Assam 53.6%, Rajasthan 50.8%, Bihar 45.2% and Uttarakhand 45.2%. Experts said this trend requires closer examination for devising policies to provide jobs for women across states.
