India To Release Monthly Unemployment Data Starting May 15 In Major Policy Shift

Beginning May 15, 2025, nan Indian authorities will commencement publishing monthly unemployment figures, departing from its earlier believe of quarterly and yearly releases. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) confirmed that nan first merchandise will screen information from January to March 2025, pinch regular monthly reports to follow.

The move is aimed astatine offering faster, much elaborate insights into India’s labour market, peculiarly astatine nan territory level. Policymakers are expected to use from much granular information to style targeted interventions crossed municipality and agrarian sectors.

The caller method of information collection

Previously, unemployment figures were shared quarterly for municipality areas and annually for some municipality and agrarian regions. The caller methodology will supply abstracted estimates for each region each month. MoSPI has besides expanded nan study sample size from 16,000 to 22,000 to trim nan separator of correction and boost reliability.

To streamline nan process, nan ministry has adopted integer devices and automated information postulation technologies to accelerate study wave and delivery. Officials opportunity this will thief trim nan lag betwixt information postulation and nationalist release.

What are nan existent figures?

According to nan government’s latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), nan wide unemployment complaint for individuals aged 15 and supra was 4.9% successful 2024, down somewhat from 5.0% successful 2023. Urban unemployment for nan October to December 2024 4th stood astatine 6.4%, while agrarian areas reported a little complaint of 4.2%.

However, figures from nan Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) show a different story. The independent deliberation vessel pegged India’s unemployment complaint successful December 2024 astatine 8.65%, pinch agrarian and municipality unemployment astatine 7.97% and 10.08%, respectively. The variety stems from differing study methods and sample populations.

Beyond labour data, MoSPI besides plans to merchandise backstage superior expenditure figures by nan extremity of April 2025. Starting adjacent year, quarterly updates connected nan informal assemblage will beryllium introduced, alongside a caller study covering work assemblage businesses.

Quarterly labour unit estimates for agrarian India will besides go a modular characteristic going forward.

Published on: Apr 22, 2025 4:48 PM IST