Meghalaya has the highest unemployment rate among all states of the North East and also surpassed the national unemployment rate.
The data regarding the unemployment rate in the country was given by Union Minister of State for Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje in a written reply in the Lok Sabha on July 22.
As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2022-23, Meghalaya’s unemployment rate is 6.0 per cent. The PLFS report surveyed the rate of unemployment for persons of age 15 years and above.
Unemployment in the urban areas of the State is 12.3 per cent which was much higher than the national average of 5.4 per cent.
Arunachal Pradesh came second with an unemployment rate of 4.8 per cent followed by Manipur (4.7 per cent) and Nagaland (4.3 per cent).
The North East states with low unemployment rate are Mizoram (2.2 per cent), Sikkim (2.2 per cent) and Assam (1.7).
The All India Unemployment Rate is 3.2 per cent. This showed that Meghalaya has an unemployment rate that is higher than most states in the country.
The State with highest unemployment rate is Goa at 9.7 per cent followed by Kerala at 7.0 per cent. The Union Territory with the highest unemployment rate is Lakshadweep at 11.1 per cent.
The data on employment and unemployment is collected through Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation since 2017-18. The survey period is from July to June every year.