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The estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment during the last 7 years has increased from 46.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 58.2 per cent in 2023-24, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday. 

During the same period, Unemployment Rate (UR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has decreased from 6 per cent to 3.2 per cent, the minister stated in a written reply.

The minister said that the data on Employment and Unemployment is collected through Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation since 2017-18.

The survey period is from July to June every year. The state-wise WPR is also available on the website of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation

The Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) reports As per the available ASUSE reports, the estimated number of workers has increased to 10.96 crore in 2022-23 from 9.79 crores in 2021-22, the Minister said.

ASUSE exclusively measures various economic and operational characteristics of unincorporated non-agricultural establishments in manufacturing, trade and other services sector.

Apart from this, more than 7 crore net subscribers have joined Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) between September 2017 and September 2024 indicating increase in formalisation of the job market, she pointed out.

Citing the RBI data, the Minister also stated that employment in the country increased to 64.33 crore in the year 2023-24 compared to 47.15 crore in 2014-15. The total increase in employment during this period works out to 17.18 crore.

The figures are based on the KLEMS (K: Capital, L: Labour, E: Energy, M: Materials and S: Services) database published by Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) which provides employment estimates at an all-India level.

Employment generation coupled with improving employability is the priority of the Government, the Minister said.

Spelling out the steps taken by the government of India for generating more employment in the country, Shobha Karandlaje said: "The various Ministries/ Departments of Government of India like Ministry of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Ministry of Rural Development, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Textiles, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology etc. are implementing different employment generation schemes/ programmes like Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), Rural Self Employment and Training Institutes (RSETIs), Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), which, along with increase in capital expenditure, seeks to boost employment creation."

Further, the government announced the Prime Minister's package of five schemes and initiatives to facilitate employment, skilling and other opportunities for 4.1 crore youth over a 5-year period with a central outlay of Rs. 2 lakh crore in the Budget 2024-25, the Minister added.