India’s unemployment rate among male graduates stood at 10.6%, females at 20.4% in 2023-24: Government

The unemployment rate for graduate males was 13.1% in 2020-21, 12.8% in 2021-22, 11.2% in 2022-23 and 10.6% in 2023-24, while the estimate rate for females was 24.5%, 22.4%, 20.6% and 20.4% during the same period, the government told Parliament on Thursday.

Speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State e said that the estimated unemployment rate (UR) for post-graduate males was 9% in 2020-21, 8.1% in 2021-22, 8.8% in 2022-23 and 7.0% in 2023-24, while the same for post-graduate females was 20.1%, 19.0%, 18.7% and 22.5% during the same period, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).

"The government is also implementing the Skill India Mission to deliver skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres, schools, colleges and institutes, under various schemes. The Mission aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills," she told the House.

The minister said the Ministry of Labour and Employment is implementing the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) scheme to support employment generation, enhance employability and social security across all sectors, with special focus on the manufacturing sector.

“The scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore aims to incentivize the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs in the country, over a period of 2 years,” she added.

India's unemployment rate stood at 5% in January 2026, marking a marginal rise from 4.8% in December 2025, according to PLFS.

While overall unemployment remains relatively stable, urban unemployment (7%) continues to be higher than rural unemployment (4.2%) as of early 2026. The labour force participation rate was 55.9% in January 2026, it said.