Employment creation in India has reached new heights, says PM Modi

Employment creation in India has reached new heights as the benefits of development are reaching both rural and urban India equally, resulting in the unemployment rate falling to its lowest level in the past six years, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Addressing the Annual Skill Convocation Ceremony 2023, organised by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship via a video message, the Prime Minister said that as India's economy is expanding, new possibilities are being created equally for the youth in both rural and urban areas.

"A recent survey has revealed that employment creation in India has reached new heights. The unemployment rate in India is at its lowest level in six years. Unemployment is decreasing rapidly in both rural and urban areas of India. This means that the benefits of development are reaching both villages and cities equally," the Prime Minister said while congratulating 1.06 million new trainees across the country who received their skill training certificates on Thursday.

The Prime Minister was referring to the Annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which was conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) and its results released earlier this week.

The survey had shown that India's unemployment rate had dropped to a six-year low of 3.2 per cent in the July-June 2022-23 period from 4.1 per cent in the July-June 2021-22 period. This is the lowest level of unemployment rate recorded in the country since the NSO started the survey in April 2017.

The unemployment rate in both rural and urban areas also declined to 2.4 per cent and 5.4 per cent, from 3.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent respectively in the FY22 period. The unemployment rate for rural women (1.8 per cent) stood lower than rural men (2.7 per cent) in FY23.

Besides, the Prime Minister also highlighted the sharp increase in the participation of women in India's workforce and credited the impact of the schemes and campaigns that have been launched in India in the past years regarding women empowerment.

"There is another very important thing about this survey. The survey has revealed that there has been an unprecedented increase in the participation of women in India's workforce. This is the impact of the schemes and campaigns that have been launched in India in the past years regarding women empowerment," he added.

While women's participation in the rural workforce has increased to 41.5 per cent in FY23 from 24.6 per cent in FY18, in urban areas it increased to 25.4 per cent from 20.4 per cent in the same period.

Highlighting the importance of skilling, upskilling and reskilling, the Prime Minister noted the rapidly changing demands and nature of jobs and emphasised on upgrading the skills accordingly and said that it is very important for industry, research and skill development institutions to be in tune with the present times.

"The scope of skill development is continuously increasing in India. We are not limited to just mechanics, engineers, technology, or any other service. Now there are self-help groups related to women, which are being prepared for drone technology," the Prime Minister said.