Unemployment rate rises to 7.8% in June

The unemployment rate in India rose to 7.8% in June 2022 , as per the latest data released by CMIE.

As many as 13 million jobs have been lost primarily in the agriculture sector. "This is the biggest fall in employment during a non-lockdown month. This is basically a rural phenomenon and seasonal. However, this is a seasonal phase when there is a lull in agricultural activities in rural areas and it is most likely to be reversed in July when the sowing begins," CMIE managing director Mahesh Vyas told PTI.

He said that June also saw a fall of 2.5 million jobs among salaried employees as the government shrunk the demand for armed personnel and opportunities in PE-funded new-world jobs also shrank. "The economy needs to grow at a faster pace than it may in the near future to save and generate such jobs," he added.

Unemployment levels rose more sharply in rural India than in urban areas. The unemployment levels in rural India touched a 5-month high of 8% in June. In comparison, urban unemployment dropped marginally from 8.2% in May to 7.3% in June.

Haryana recorded the highest level of unemployment at 30.6% across India in Jun'22, followed by Rajasthan at 29.8%. Madhya Pradesh recorded the lowest level of unemployment across India in Jun'22 at 0.5%, followed by Puducherry at 0.9%.