Unemployment rate at 6.1% in 2017-18, confirms government data

 Confirming unemployment rate projected in a pre-election leaked report, the government Friday said joblessness in the country was 6.1 per cent of total labour force during 2017-18, the highest in 45 years.

The data released by the government on a day when Modi 2.0 Cabinet took charge showed 7.8 per cent of all employable urban youth being jobless, while the percentage for the rural was 5.3 per cent. The joblessness among male on all India basis was 6.2 per cent, while it was 5.7 per cent in case of females. 

The Congress on Friday said the slump in economic growth and unemployment are two important challenges before the country and expressed the hope that the new government would address these issues. "Slump in 'economic growth' & Runaway 'unemployment' are two important challenges before the country. Hope PM & FM will address them by laying a short-medium-long term roadmap of kick starting the growth engine as also employment generating strategy," he tweeted after CSO reported that the economic growth rate for the financial year 2018-19 stood at a five-year low of 5.8 per cent.