Unemployment Rate At 9.3% In January-March 2021, Reports NSO Survey

Nine bulletins of PLFS have been released. The latest bulletin is the tenth survey in the series.

Representative Photo

New Delhi: A periodic labour force survey by the National Statistical Office (NSO) showed that the unemployment rate for persons of age 15 years and above in urban areas rose to 9.3 per cent in January-March 2021 as compared to 9.1 per cent in the same month of the previous year, news agency PTI reported. 

Joblessness or unemployment rate (UR) is defined as the percentage of unemployed persons in the labour force.

The 10th Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) showed that the UR in CWS (current weekly status) in urban areas for persons aged 15 years and above was 10.3 per cent in October-December 2020.

It also reported that the unemployment rate among females in urban areas (age 15 and above) rose to 11.8 per cent in January-March 2021 as opposed to 10.6 per cent a year ago. It was 13.1 per cent in October-December 2020.

Among males, the UR in urban areas (age 15 years and above) remained flat at 8.6 per cent in January-March 2021 compared to a year ago, the survey showed, as reported by PTI. 

It was 9.5 per cent in October-December 2020.

Labour force participation rate in CWS (current weekly status) in urban areas for persons of 15 years of age and above was 47.5 per cent in January-March quarter of 2021, down from 48.1 per cent in the same period last year. It was 47.3 per cent in October-December 2020.

Labour force is the part of the population which supplies or offers to supply labour for pursuing economic activities for the production of goods and services and therefore, includes both employed and unemployed persons.

NSO had launched the Periodic Labour Force Survey in April 2017. A quarterly bulletin is brought out, on the basis of PLFS, giving estimates of labour force indicators such as Unemployment Rate (UR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), distribution of workers by broad status in employment and industry of work in Current Weekly Status (CWS).

The estimates of unemployed persons in CWS provide an average picture of unemployment in a short period of seven days in the survey period.

As per the CWS approach, a person is deemed unemployed if he/she did not work even for one hour on any day during the week but sought or was available for work at least for one hour on any day during the period.

According to CWS, labour force is the number of persons either employed or unemployed on an average in a week preceding the date of survey. LFPR is defined as the percentage of population in the labour force.

WPR (in per cent) in CWS in urban areas for persons of age 15 years and above stood at 43.1 per cent in January-March 2021, down from 43.7 per cent in the same period a year ago. It was 42.4 per cent in October-December 2020.

Nine bulletins of PLFS corresponding to quarters ended December 2018, March 2019, June 2019, September 2019, December 2019, March 2020, June 2020, September 2020, and December 2020 have been released. The latest bulletin is the tenth survey in the series.

(With PTI Inputs)