AGARTALA, Sep 2 (TIWN): As per CMIE’s monthly data, Tripura has recorded 27.9% unemployment rate, which is the second highest in whole country after Haryana which is at 33.5%. Tripura is holding highest unemployed youths among all Northeast states. After Haryana and Tripura, it’s Rajasthan which is holding the 3rd position in unemployment rate at 17.5%. National records on unemployment is gruesome. Falling jobs in the formal sector and saturation in the farm sector drove up urban and rural unemployment respectively in August, leading to higher joblessness nationwide, at a time India has lifted most coronavirus-related restrictions imposed in March.

Urban unemployment crept up to 9.83% in August from 9.15% in July, according to monthly unemployment data released Tuesday by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). In other words, roughly one in every 10 persons in urban areas cannot find work.  Overall unemployment rate rose to 8.35% in August from 7.43% in July. The figure is slightly lower than 8.75% in March, when the covid-19 pandemic began its sweep across India, but is far higher than in pre-covid-19 months like February, January and December when the rate was between 7.22% and 7.76%.

Likewise, rural unemployment rate rose to 7.65% from 6.66% in July.  Among states, Haryana was the worst-hit, with a whopping 33.5% unemployment rate in August, followed by Tripura (27.9%), whereas Karnataka (0.5%) and Odisha (1.4%) were better off in absorbing workers in August, CMIE data showed.  Economists and experts said the data is worrisome as it comes at a time when most economic activities were permitted. Continuing job cuts and suboptimal demand in a weak economic environment is fuelling the employment crisis.  Mahesh Vyas, managing director of CMIE said the data indicates a “fatigue in the labour market. There was a slowdown in the recovery in July if compared to May and June, and we see a slight decline in August."

Unemployment Rates as per CMIE for 2020, August