Unemployment rate declined from 6.7% in 2019-20 to 6.1% in 2023-24: Jammu and Kashmir govt

Jammu: Unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir declined from 6.7 per cent in 2019-20 to 6.1 per cent in 2023-24, J-K government said on Saturday, highlighting the various steps taken in this regard, including the generation of 9.58 lakh livelihood opportunities through various schemes.

This improvement is also reflected on the labour force participation rate (LFPR) and workers population ratio (WPR), which rose to 64.3 per cent and 60.4 per cent, respectively, in 2023-24, showcasing the enhanced employment opportunities and economic activities in the Union Territory, J-K minister Javed Ahmad Dar told the Assembly on Saturday.

Replying to a question by National Conference MLA Mubarak Gul, Dar said on behalf of employment minister Surinder Choudhary that the unemployment rate did not increase drastically in Jammu and Kashmir since 2019.

Quoting J-K's 2025 Economic Survey report, Dar said the unemployment rate was 6.7 per cent in 2019-20, which fell to 5.9 per cent in 2020-21, 5.2 per cent in 2021-22, 4.4 per cent in 2022-23, and 6.1 per cent in 2023-24.

"The steady decline in the unemployment rate together with the increases in LFPR and WPR reflects the success of targeted policies and initiatives aimed at boosting the labour market to sustain economic growth, further reduce unemployment, and elevate the overall quality of life for J-K' citizens," Dar said.

Referring to the steps taken to boost employment generation, Dar said 11,526 selections have been made by the J-K Public Service Commission and J-K Services Selection Board in the past two years -- 4,836 (1,141 by JKPSC and 3695 by JKSSB) in 2023, and 6,690 (1,034 by JKPSC and 56,756 by JKSSB) in 2024.

In the private sector, 45,688 unemployed youth were provided jobs in the industrial sector in 2022-23 (15,719) and 2023-24 (29,969), Dar said.

In addition, 9.58 lakh self-employment opportunities were generated through schemes such as 'Mumkin', 'Tejaswani', Prime Minister's Employment Generation Programme (PMEGP) and Rural Employment Generation Programme (REGP) in the last four years, the minister said, adding that 2,99,266 livelihood opportunities were created in 2021-22, 2,83,664 in 2022-23, 2,38,675 in 2023-24 and 1,36,165 in 2024-25 up to January this year.

Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 3.01 crore person-days were generated up to January 2025, providing employment to 8.07 lakh households, Dar said.

The minister said the government has also taken major initiatives with a focus on youth development, entrepreneurship, and livelihood generation.

The government has initiated 'Mission Yuva' for self-employment and entrepreneurship to identify, support, and empower five lakh potential entrepreneurs through a structured and tech-enabled approach, Dar said.

The key goals of this initiative are to create over 1,37,000 new enterprises across sectors and to generate 4.25 lakh employment opportunities over the five-year programme, he added.

In the last four years, 246 job fairs were organised in which 4,893 placements were made by 2,760 companies, besides recommending 6,640 candidates for skill training, Dar said.

The government is also facilitating self-employment opportunities to job seekers through various line departments, the minister said, adding that it has started imparting skill development training across the Union Territory.