What was the unemployment rate in rural areas in 2021-22, according to the PLFS data released by NSO?

Solution

According to the latest annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), India’s unemployment rate dropped to a five-year low in July-June 2021-22 to 4.1 per cent. During 2021-22, the unemployment rate in both rural and urban areas declined to 3.2 per cent and 6.3 per cent, respectively, from 3.3 per cent and 6.7 per cent, respectively, in 2020-21. The unemployment rate for rural women (2.1 per cent) was lower than it was rural men (3.8 per cent) in 2021-22, whereas in urban areas, the rate was high for females (7.9 per cent) as compared to males (5.8 per cent). The survey also showed that the labour force participation rate (LFPR) had increased significantly in the last five years from 37.5 per cent in 2018-19 to 55.2 per cent in 2021-22.