Youth unemployment rate tanks to 9.9% in 2025: Govt

In 2025, the youth unemployment rate in India dropped to 9.9 percent, a significant decline from 10.9 percent in 2022, according to the government's latest report presented in the Lok Sabha. Concurrently, the Worker Population Ratio for the 15-29 age group rose to 41.4 percent from 38.5 percent in the same timeframe. Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya highlighted that boosting employability alongside employment generation is a top priority for the government.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report for 2025 revealed that the WPR for youth rose from 38.5 percent in 2022 to 41.4 percent in 2025. The estimated unemployment rate for this demographic fell from 10.9 percent in 2022 to 9.9 percent in 2025. Various employment generation initiatives are being pursued, including the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY), Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP), and the Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY), among others.

Government sector recruitment is an ongoing process, with efforts made to fill vacancies in line with relevant rules. As of March 31, 2026, the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) schemes had led to an investment of over Rs 2.40 lakh crore and employment generation of more than 14.15 lakh, while the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana aimed to incentivize the creation of over 3.5 crore jobs in the manufacturing sector by 2028.