BJP in a fix as joblessness up 11.2% in 15-29 age group

Chandigarh, August 19

With just 42 days left before the Haryana Assembly elections, new unemployment data from the state’s urban areas has put the ruling BJP in a fix. Joblessness has risen in Haryana, particularly among young people in the 15-29 age group, from 9.5 per cent in the previous quarter to 11.2 per cent in April-June 2024, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MOSPI).

Among urban males aged 15-29, the unemployment rate has risen from 8.5 per cent in January-March to 9.9 per cent in April-June, while among females it has increased from 13.9 per cent in January-March to 17.2 per cent in April-June.

With the Agniveer policy and a large number of vacancies in government departments as major rallying points, the Congress has made unemployment a significant issue in the poll campaign. Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda, the face of the ‘Haryana Mange Hisaab’ campaign, has been categorically questioning the BJP government about why Haryana has the highest unemployment rate in the country.

Although Haryana’s figures, released on August 16, are better than those of neighbouring Himachal Pradesh (HP) and Punjab, which are ruled by Congress and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) respectively, joblessness has indeed been on a rising trend over the last two quarters in the state and could impact the saffron party’s prospects in the upcoming elections.

In the age group of 15 years and above, the overall unemployment rate in urban Haryana has risen from 4.1 per cent in January-March to 4.7 per cent in the April-June quarter. Among males, it has increased from 4.1 per cent in January-March to 4.3 per cent in April-June, while among women it has risen more significantly, from 4.1 percent to 6.5 percent, over the same period.

Across all age groups, the unemployment rate has risen from 4.1 per cent in the previous quarter to 4.7 per cent in April-June.

According to the PLFS methodology, a person is considered unemployed in a week if they did not work for even an hour on any day during the reference week but sought or were available for work for at least an hour on any day during that week. MOSPI publishes quarterly bulletins based on PLFS data on labour force indicators, such as labour force participation rate, worker population ratio and unemployment rate for urban areas.

Commenting on the new data, former CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda stated, “We have been saying that since 2014, the unemployment rate has tripled. The BJP government has failed on all fronts. I recently visited Faridabad and was informed that small-scale industries have closed down, leaving lakhs unemployed.”

He added, “No new investment is coming to the state. Who will invest in a state where people are not safe and the crime rate is high? According to the Social Progress Index of the Centre, Haryana is an unsafe state.”

In response, Media Adviser to the CM, Praveen Attrey, said, “Since 2014, we have provided 1.44 lakh regular jobs and, with amendments to industrial policy, 6.71 lakh new micro, small, and medium enterprises have created jobs for 34 lakh people. Additionally, 2,083 job fairs have secured jobs for 1.06 lakh individuals. Compared to the Hooda regime (2005-2014), our performance in providing employment has been better, and we are in a better position than neighbouring Punjab and HP.”