THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The unemployment rate of the highly literate state is much higher than the national average. This was disclosed by labour minister T P Ramakrishnan in the assembly. As per the national statistics, the unemployment rate of the state is 9.53% and the national average is 6.1%

The minister said there are 36.25 lakh unemployed youths in the state. The most alarming factor in this is that 7303 are medical graduates and 44,559 are engineering graduates. There are 6413 MBA graduates and 3771 MCA gradates remaining as jobless.

The unemployment rate of the state is much higher than the national average, said the minister. While giving a reply to VS Sivakumar, the minister said the total unemployed youths in the stat are 36,25,852.

Of this 23,00,139 are women and 13,25,713 are men. There are 12,006 nursing graduates who are jobless in the state. Those who are having other professional degrees are remaining jobless are 1,43,453.

Among the other jobless youths, there are 3,31,192 degree holders and 94,590 post graduate degree holders. According to the reports from the employment exchanges of the state, there are 36,25,852 people who are remaining as jobless, said the minister in the Assembly.

In the national scene, Sikkim (18.1%) and Tripura (19.7%) are the only two states which are above Kerala in the unemployment rate.

