BHUBANESWAR: Odisha’s unemployment rate among youth has come down marginally as compared to the last fiscal even though in urban areas, lack of jobs continues to remain a concern.
ThePeriodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the period July 2023 to June 2024, released by the Labour Bureau earlier this week, has reported a two per cent decline in the state’s unemployment rate for people in the 15-29 age group.
Against the all-India average of 10.2 per cent amongst youth, the unemployment rate in Odisha stands at 11.1 per cent. The percentage was 13.8 per cent in 2022-2023. Also, the participation of women in the workforce has improved.
The survey report states that in rural areas, unemployment among the 15-29 age group (youths who are just entering the labour market following education) has seen a substantial decline. It decreased from 12.7 per cent in 2022-23 to 9.3 per cent in 2023-24. However, in urban areas it rose from 21.8 per cent to 22.9 per cent.
The overall unemployment rate across all age groups is 3.1 per cent, marginally less than last year when it was 3.9 per cent. The overall unemployment rate for males in Odisha decreased from 4.7 per cent to 3.3 per cent while for female workforce it has slightly increased from 2.4 per cent to 2.7 per cent.
When it comes to Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), in rural areas, the rate among people over 15 years of age has increased from 63 per cent in 2022-23 to 67.1 per cent in 2023-24. In urban areas too, it marginally increased from 51.5 per cent last fiscal to 53.2 per cent this year.
In terms of Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which is the percentage of employed persons in the population, Odisha with 62.9 per cent has fared better than states like Kerala, Karnataka, West Bengal and Telangana.
Economists, however, said LFPR and WPR is increasing in Odisha because the larger section of workforce is primarily in the agriculture sector. If one compares the survey reports of both 2022-23 and 2023-24, the percentage of workforce in the agriculture sector stands at over 48.5 per cent.
Good signs
Unemployment rate down from 13.8 pc to 11.1 pc
Rural unemployment decreased from 12.7 pc to 9.3 pc
Urban areas saw marginal increase from 21.9 pc to 22.9 pc