KOHIMA: Nagaland’s unemployment rate (UR) has experienced a sustained decline for the third consecutive year. This striking fact has been revealed by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
According to the recently unveiled sixth annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the MoSPI, the unemployment rate in the state plummeted to 4.3% between July 2022 and June 2023, from 9.7% in the previous year.
Historically, Nagaland grappled with alarming unemployment rates, recording 19.2% in 2020-21 and an even higher 25.7% in 2019-20. This placed the state among the top spots for the highest unemployment figures across the country. However, since 2019-20, there’s been a consistent downtrend in the UR, as indicated by successive annual surveys.
Youth unemployment remains a challenge in Nagaland. While the general unemployment figures have improved, the youth unemployment rate remains elevated at 18.5%. This is considerably above the national average of 10%. Among Northeastern states, only Manipur recorded a higher youth unemployment rate at 19.7%.
Urban areas in Nagaland recorded a higher youth unemployment rate of 21.8%, compared to 12.7% in rural regions. This mirrors the broader national pattern, with urban areas experiencing a youth UR of 15.7% compared to 8% in rural regions.
An unemployment rate of 11% was observed among those educated to secondary level or above, which is higher than the national average of 6.4%. Interestingly, the highest unemployment was noted among post-graduates and those with higher education, at 26%.
However, Nagaland’s UR is still slightly above the all-India average, which stands at 3.2%. In a comparative study among Northeastern states, Meghalaya posted the highest UR at 6%, followed by Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur, with rates of 4.8% and 4.7%, respectively.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is an annual exercise initiated in 2017 by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI. It aims to gauge the levels of employment and unemployment across the nation.
