1st District-Level Data Reveals Wide Gaps In Female Workforce Participation

India's first district-level labour market estimates released by the National Statistical Office on Friday showed wide differences in employment participation across the country, with nearly 58 per cent of districts recording a female labour force participation rate of at least 40 per cent, and unemployment rates across most of the country stayed within a moderate 0.5 per cent to 5.5 per cent band.

The data, released under the revamped Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), provide district-level estimates of labour force participation rate (LFPR), worker population ratio (WPR), unemployment rate (UR) and NEET (youth not in employment, education or training) for the first time.

Surat in Gujarat recorded the highest labour force participation and worker population ratios among major districts, at 68.6 per cent and 67.8 per cent, respectively, followed by Araria in Bihar and Salem in Tamil Nadu.

Darbhanga in Bihar posted the lowest levels on both measures. More than three-quarters of districts reported NEET rates - the share of youth aged 15-29 not in employment, education or training - below 30 per cent.

Labour force participation and worker population ratios for people aged 15 and above fell within the 40-80 per cent range in roughly 98 per cent of districts nationwide. Among the country's 100 most populous districts, worker population ratios ranged from 37.3 per cent to 76.7 per cent.

The distribution nevertheless differs within that broad band. More than half of districts - 52.7 per cent - recorded LFPR between 60 per cent and 80 per cent, while 54.3 per cent had WPR between 40 per cent and 60 per cent.

The data showed substantial differences in women's participation in the labour market across districts.

Among the districts selected from each state's 10 most populous districts by female population, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest female LFPR at 80.9 per cent, followed by Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir at 71.4 per cent, Mayurbhanj in Odisha at 71.8 per cent and Surguja in Chhattisgarh at 69 per cent.

At the lower end were East Delhi at 18.9 per cent, Siwan in Bihar at 24.7 per cent and Patiala in Punjab at 39.3 per cent.

Overall, around 57.8 per cent of districts recorded female LFPR of 40 per cent or higher, pointing to considerable differences in women's engagement with the labour market across regions.

District unemployment rates were also concentrated at relatively low levels. About 43.1 per cent of districts recorded unemployment between 0.5 per cent and 3 per cent, while another 34.7 per cent fell between 3 per cent and 5.5 per cent.

Only 14.9 per cent of districts recorded unemployment above 5.5 per cent, while 7.2 per cent reported rates below 0.5 per cent.

Among the 100 most populous districts, South 24 Parganas in West Bengal and Araria in Bihar recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 0.9 per cent, followed by Ahmedabad at 1.1 per cent.

The data also provide a district-level picture of young people aged 15-29 who are not in employment, education or training.

About 76.2 per cent of districts recorded NEET rates below 30 per cent, but nearly one-fourth - 23.7 per cent - had rates above 30 per cent.

Ernakulam in Kerala recorded the lowest NEET rate among the 100 most populous districts at 9.6 per cent, followed by Coimbatore at 14.5 per cent and Bengaluru Urban at 15 per cent.

The figures suggest that labour-market outcomes vary substantially even among large population centres, with differences extending beyond headline unemployment to participation and youth engagement. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)