According to a report by the National Sample Survey (NSSO), the unemployment rate (UR) for people over the age of 15 in urban areas has dipped to 7.2% in 2022 from 8.7% the previous year during the months from October to December.

The report stated that 2021 saw higher rates of joblessness due to the economic downturn from the Covid19 lockdown and other restrictions. The period from July-September in 2022 also saw the UR remaining steady at 7.2%

Joblessness or unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of unemployed persons among the labour force.

Joblessness was high in October-December 2021 mainly due to the staggering impact of Covid-related restrictions in the country.

The 17th Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) found that the UR for people in the same age bracket and area stood marginally higher at 7.6% from April-June in 2022. However, the first quarter of 2022 - January-March - the UR peaked at 8.2%.

According to the survey, 9.6% of females over the age of 15 in urban areas faced joblessness in October-December 2022. This is a slight fall from 10.5% in 2021.

Labour force, according to CWS, is the number of persons either employed or unemployed on average in a week preceding the date of the survey. LFPR is defined as the percentage of the population in the labour force.

Males in urban areas faced comparatively lesser rates of unemployment as the October-December period in 2022 saw 6.5% per cent joblessness. In 2021, the numbers were 8.3% in the same period.