PLFS: Delhi’s joblessness rate lowest, Kerala’s highest in Q4

New Delhi: Kerala had the highest unemployment rate in the 15-29 age group in urban areas in the Jan-March quarter of 2024, while Delhi had the lowest joblessness rate among 22 states and Union territories, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MOSPI). J&K, Telangana, Rajasthan and Odisha were among the five states with the highest unemployment rates in the 15-29 years category, the survey showed.Overall joblessness rate for the period for this category was at 17%, higher than the 16.5% in the Oct-Dec period and marginally below the 17.3% in Jan-March 2023.

Joblessness rate for all age groups for the Jan-March quarter of 2024 has been estimated at 6.7%, slightly higher than the 6.5% in the Oct-Dec quarter but marginally below the 6.8% in the Jan-March quarter of 2023.Three out of the 22 states and UTs recorded unemployment rates in single digits — apart from Delhi (3.1%), the other states were Gujarat (9%) and Haryana (9.5%). The other two states among the five with low joblessness rates were Karnataka (11.5%) and Madhya Pradesh (12.1%).Double-digit joblessness rate has been a sticky issue in the 15-29 age group for a significant period now. The rate had surged sharply during the Covid-19 pandemic. Post-Covid, it slowed but still remains a problem area for policymakers battling to create fresh job opportunities for those entering the workforce.The data also showed that the unemployment rate for women was the highest in J&K at 48.6%, followed by Kerala (46.6%), Uttarakhand (39.4%), Telangana (38.4%) and Himachal Pradesh (35.9%). The overall female unemployment rate in Jan-March quarter was at 22.7%, marginally higher than the 22.5% in the Oct-Dec period and slightly lower than 22.9% in Jan-March 2023The quarterly PLFS survey measures joblessness rate, labour force participation rate and worker population ratio. The unemployment rate is on the basis of the current weekly status (CWS). Under the CWS, a person is considered ‘unemployed’ in a week if he or she did not work even for one hour on any day during the reference week but sought or was available for work for at least one hour on any day during the reference week, according to the PLFS.

PLFS: Delhi's joblessness rate lowest, Kerala's highest in Q4

Kerala had the highest unemployment rate in the 15-29 age group in urban areas, while Delhi had the lowest. J&K, Telangana, Rajasthan, and Odisha were among the states with high rates. Overall joblessness was 17% for this category.

Oil prices fall on worries of higher US interest rates

Oil prices eased on worries of US borrowing cost hikes due to inflation surges, potentially hurting oil demand.

Kayal rules the rating charts; Here are the top 5 shows of the week

The emotional saga 'Kayal' claims top spot in TRP ratings, displacing 'Bhagyalakshmi.' 'Ethirneechal' enthralls viewers with gripping storyline. 'Sundari' slips to third position with engaging storyline.