India's Employment Rose 36% Since 2014 To 64 Crore In 2023–24: Labour Minister

Employment in the country increased 36% to 64.3 crore in 2023-24 from 47.2 crore in 2014-15, reflecting an improvement in job creation during the NDA period, Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya claimed on Thursday.

Speaking to media persons, the minister also highlighted that employment under the UPA government grew by "only about 7%" between 2004 and 2014.

While the UPA government created just 2.9 crore additional jobs during its tenure, the Modi government added 17.2 crore jobs between 2014 and 2024, according to Mandaviya.

In 2023-24 alone, the Modi government reportedly created around 4.6 crore jobs in the country, the minister claimed.

This data holds significance against the backdrop of mounting pressure on the government to address the issue of job creation in the country.

About the agriculture sector, the minister stated that employment declined 16% between 2004 and 2014 under the UPA tenure, whereas it has grown 19% between 2014 and 2023 under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's tenure.

Similarly, employment in the manufacturing sector grew just 6% between 2004 and 2014 under the UPA tenure, while it increased 15% between 2014 and 2023 under Modi's tenure, he said.

He further informed that employment in the services sector grew 25% between 2004 and 2014 under the UPA tenure while it increased by 36% between 2014 and 2023 under Modi's tenure.

Mandaviya also stated that the unemployment rate dropped from 6% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24, while the employment rate grew from 46.8% in 2017-18 to 58.2% in 2023-24.

Similarly, he informed that the labour force participation rate grew from 49.8% in 2017-18 to 60.1% in 2023-24.

About the growth in youth joining the formal job market, the minister also informed that in the last seven years (between September 2017 and September 2024), over 4.7 crore youths (18-28 years) have joined the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation fold.

(With inputs from PTI)