NEW DELHI: The unemployment rate among those in the 15 years and above age group in urban areas held steady at 6.4% compared to the previous quarter but on an annual basis it dipped a tad, the results of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) showed on Tuesday.
The PLFS for the Oct-Dec 2024 quarter showed the unemployment holding steady on a sequential basis but it dipped from 6.5% in Oct-Dec 2023 to 6.4% in Oct-Dec 2024.

The joblessness rate among males inched up slightly at 5.8% during the three month period compared with 5.7% in the July-Sept quarter. Compared to the Oct-Dec 2023 period, it held steady at 5.8% level. Among females, the unemployment rate dipped marginally from 8.4% in July-Sept period to 8.1% in Oct-Dec 2024. In Oct-Dec last year the rate was 8.6%.
Jobs and wages have been at the centre of policy debates. Officials say there is a need to generate an average of about 78.5 lakh jobs annually until 2030 in the non-farm sector to deal with rising workforce. The labour force participation rate rose to 50.4% in Oct-Dec period compared to 49.9% in Oct-Dec 2023, but on a sequential basis, it held steady at the 50.4% recorded in July-Sept quarter.