Unemployment rate at 9.4% in 2009-10: Survey

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors continued to employ the largest workforce in the country, according to a government survey for 2009-10 fiscal which said the unemployment rate in India during this period stood at 9.4 per cent.

According to the first national-level household survey conducted by the Labour Bureau under the Labour and Employment Ministry, out of 1,000 employed people, 455 were working in agriculture, forestry and fisheries sectors during the period.

This was followed by 89 people employed in the manufacturing sector, 88 in the wholesale and retail trade, 84 people in community services and 75 in construction sector.

The survey was conducted with a view to study the overall employment-unemployment situation in 300 districts of 28 states and Union Territories except the North Eastern states, a government statement said.

It said in the rural sector, the unemployment rate was estimated at 10.1 per cent while in urban areas, it stood at 7.3 per cent of the total labour force.

It also revealed that out of 1,000 people employed, 439 were self-employed.

Among the self-employed persons, majority were employed in agriculture, forestry and fisheries (572 out of 1000) followed by 135 people in the wholesale and retail trade.

The total worker-population ratio was estimated at 325 people per 1,000 people.

A total of 45,859 households were covered during the survey, out of which 24,653 were in rural areas and 21,206 in urban areas.
    
Another finding that emerged out of the survey was that the sex ratio (number of females per 1,000 males) was estimated at 917 for the rural and urban sectors combined, with 915 in the rural areas and 924 in the urban areas, the statement said.
    
The literacy rate for the population of age group of 7 years and above was estimated to be 77.7 per cent, with 74.6 per cent in rural areas and 86 per cent in urban areas.