NSSO report shows unemployment rate is at 45-year high

According to the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO’s) periodic labour force survey (PLFS), India’s unemployment rate stood at a 45-year-high of 6.1 per cent in 2017-18.

According to the documents reviewed by Business Standard, the report states that unemployment rate in 2017-18 was at its highest level since 1972-73.

The report has created controversy since it has not made public yet and if speculations are to be believed, the delay has been due to the data about jobs which is sure to bring embarrassment for the government.

Acting Chairman P C Mohanan and member of the National Statistical Commission (NSC) and Prof. J V Meenakshi resigned citing the same reason.

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Mohanan told HuffPost India that the delay in releasing the PLFS “was one of the reasons” for their resignation.

“The report was approved in December first week but it is still not released. Generally, the commission approves such reports and they are uploaded on the website by the NSSO as a way of releasing them. That has not happened in this case,” HuffPost India quoted an official source as saying.

The NSSO report also states that joblessness was 7.8 per cent in urban areas where as it was 5.3 per cent in rural areas of the country.

The report also shows that more people were withdrawing from the work force due to which labour force participation rate (LFPR) was at a lower level as compared to previous few years.