Odisha’s Unemployment Rate Higher Than National Average

Bhubaneswar: The rate of unemployment in Odisha is 3.9%, which is higher than the national average of 3.2%, stated Skill Development Minister Sampad Swain in the Odisha Assembly on Friday.

According to Swain, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2022-23 conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), Odisha ranked 21st among all states and union territories in the unemployment rate. The unemployment rate was higher in urban areas than the rural regions.

The unemployment rate was 3.6% in rural areas in comparison to 6.2% in urban areas.

While giving a written reply to a question by BJD MLA Dhruba Charan Sahu, the minister said, despite declining by three percentage points in 2022-23 (FY23) compared to FY19, The rate of unemployment for those aged 15 years and above was 7% in Odisha in FY19. It dipped to 3.9% in FY23. In the same period, India’s unemployment rate decreased from 5.8% to 3.2%. Just 13% of the state’s workers are in regular employment, compared to 21% across the country.

Gender-wise, the male employment condition index in Odisha was 22 (rank among 22 states) in 2005 as well as 2022. The state saw slight improvement in the female index from 22 in 2005 to 21 in 2022.