In North India, unemployment rate among women highest in J-K

Arteev Sharma

Tribune News Service

Jammu, May 25

Jammu and Kashmir has topped the region in women’s unemployment by recording the highest rate of 20.2 per cent, which is much higher compared to the rate in neighbouring states. The unemployment rate among women in Jammu and Kashmir is much higher than the national average of 3.7 per cent.

“The unemployment rate among men in Jammu and Kashmir is 3.2 per cent in the 68th round of the national sample survey,” says a report of the state government.

“The unemployment rate is 20.2 per cent for women in Jammu and Kashmir, much higher than the rate in Punjab (5.6 per cent), Haryana (4.8 per cent), Delhi (4.3 per cent) and Himachal Pradesh (2.2 per cent),” says the report.

Unemployment among women in the state has recorded an upswing over the years, probably due to an increase in their participation in education.

It was 17.1 per cent during the 66th round of the national sample survey conducted from July 2009 to June 2010. The 68th round was conducted from July 2011 to June 2012.

Based on the usual principal status (indicator of chronically unemployed), J&Khas the highest unemployment rate (men and women combined) of 4.9 per cent in North India.

It is much higher than Punjab (2.8 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (2 per cent), Delhi (4.7 per cent) and Haryana (3.2 per cent). The all-India figure for the unemployment rate (men and women combined) stands at 2.7 per cent.

The report has suggested the unemployment rate of women is more in urban areas than in rural areas of the state. “The unemployment rate among women in urban areas stands at 25.6 per cent based on usual principal status compared to 16.6 per cent in rural areas,” it has stated.

The total workforce in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 43.23 lakh as per the 2011 Census, of which main workers constitute 26.44 lakh (61.77 per cent) and marginal workers 16.79 lakh (38.83 per cent).

Of this, female workers constitute 26.09 per cent of the total workforce. Women comprise only 12.8 per cent of main workers in Jammu and Kashmir compared to 47.02 per cent of marginal workers.

The report has said the number of unemployed youth, including women, registered in various district employment and counselling centres of the state was 2.77 lakh in September 2014.

At the same time, it has admitted that statistics of employment exchanges do not provide an accurate picture of joblessness in the state. The data has two defects.

All unemployed persons do not register themselves with employment exchanges. On the other hand, some of the persons registered may not be actually unemployed, but only in search of better jobs.

It has said work opportunities have not kept pace with the increasing population of the state and the problem gains importance because of higher incidence of unemployment among the educated youth in the state.