Youth unemployment rate rises to 14.7% in January

Joblessness in urban areas at 7%

- KULDEEP SINGH

THE UNEMPLOYMENT RATE (UR) among persons aged 15 years and above rose marginally to 5% in January from 4.8% in December, highlighting slightly fewer job opportunities in both rural and urban areas, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Monday.

In 15-29 age group, the unemployment rate increased from 14.4% in December to 14.7% in January. While it fell marginally among males, from 13.7% to 13.6%, female unemployment rose sharply to 17.8% from 16.3% in December. Among young women, the rate climbed to 14.2% in rural areas from 12.7% in December and 26.4% in urban areas from 24.9% in December.