Unemployment rate in urban areas drops to 8.4% in Q2FY20, shows latest govt data
The urban unemployment rate was higher than the national average of 8.4 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh

- Oct 20, 2020,
- Updated Oct 20, 2020 1:35 PM IST
The unemployment rate in urban areas dropped to 8.4 per cent in July-September quarter of 2019, compared to 9.7 per cent in the same period in 2018 and 8.9 per cent in April-June 2019, as per the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The drop in the unemployment rate was more the result of rise in people participating in labor force.
The labor force participation rate in urban areas increased by 0.6 percentage point to 36.8 per cent in September quarter of 2019 as against 36.1 per cent in the year ago period and 36.2 per cent in the June quarter of 2019, the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data from MoSPI showed.
The labour force participation rate is a measure of the percentage of a country's population that engages in the labour market. A high labour participation rate along with a low unemployment rate is a positive sign of a growing job market.
The MoSPI data showed that that urban unemployment rate was higher than the national average of 8.4 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
The CMIE data also revealed that over 121 million salaried jobs were lost in April due to coronavirus lockdown. The recovery in most of the jobs was seen by August, but the condition of some professions deteriorated over time, it said.
The unemployment rate in urban areas dropped to 8.4 per cent in July-September quarter of 2019, compared to 9.7 per cent in the same period in 2018 and 8.9 per cent in April-June 2019, as per the data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The drop in the unemployment rate was more the result of rise in people participating in labor force.
The labor force participation rate in urban areas increased by 0.6 percentage point to 36.8 per cent in September quarter of 2019 as against 36.1 per cent in the year ago period and 36.2 per cent in the June quarter of 2019, the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data from MoSPI showed.
The labour force participation rate is a measure of the percentage of a country's population that engages in the labour market. A high labour participation rate along with a low unemployment rate is a positive sign of a growing job market.
The MoSPI data showed that that urban unemployment rate was higher than the national average of 8.4 per cent in Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Andhra Pradesh, Delhi, Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
The CMIE data also revealed that over 121 million salaried jobs were lost in April due to coronavirus lockdown. The recovery in most of the jobs was seen by August, but the condition of some professions deteriorated over time, it said.