Prime Minister Narendra Modi can be pulled up for not creating jobs in the kind of scale that he had promised. But the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, too, has nothing much to crow about.

A wide range of indicators show that Kerala, despite the high spread of education and a high wage rate, suffers the worst unemployment among major states in the country. Take the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), which is the measure of those employed within the 18 to 60 age group. It is 50.7 per cent for Kerala, which is lower than the national average of 53.8 per cent. Our neighbours do far better; Andhra Pradesh (62.5 per cent), Tamil Nadu (57.2 per cent), and Karnataka (55.5 per cent).

Worker Population Ratio (WPR), another crucial marker of the employment situation, too is lower in Kerala. WPR is the number of persons employed per 1,000 persons. The fifth Annual Employment and Unemployment Survey of Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour, shows a declining WPR trend. The WPR in Kerala is 43.8 per cent, which is again lower that the national average of 47.8 per cent. Here, too, our neighbours have trumped us; Andhra Pradesh (60.1 per cent), Tamil Nadu (54.8 per cent), and Karnataka (54.8 per cent).

The clincher

Now, here is the clincher. The latest Annual Employment Unemployment Survey conducted by Ministry of Labour and Employment shows that Kerala has the highest Unemployment Rate (UR) of 12.5 per cent. The all-India average is five per cent. Only small States like Sikkim, Tripura and Himachal Pradesh have a higher unemployment rate than Kerala.

It is not as if the LDF government is not aware of the unemployment crisis. “Unemployment among a large portion of the active labour force has been the most serious socio-economic problem of Kerala,” the Economic Review tabled in the assembly on January 29 said. “The incidence of unemployment in the state is nearly two times the all-India average. This problem is more serious among the educated who are unable to utilise their skill and knowledge they have acquired for effecting qualitative changes in the economy and society,” it added.

The unemployment rate, defined as a proportion of the number unemployed to the total labour force, is measured in terms of Usual Status, Weekly Status and Daily Status. While usual activity status implies regular unemployment, both weekly and daily status represent seasonal or temporary unemployment.

In all three approaches, unemployment in Kerala is found to be generally three to four times the all India average.

Gender embarrassment

Here is yet another shame. Though Kerala is widely regarded the most gender friendly in the state, the Niti Aayog has recently confirmed this belief, all its neighbours and many other socially backward states like Chhattisgarh and Meghalaya still do better when it comes to putting women in jobs. Here is yet another statistic that reveal that renaissance-enlightened Kerala still wants its women to sit at home. The unemployment rate among the female youth is much higher than that of the male youth. Area-wise UR data shows that while 9.7 per cent males are unemployed in rural areas, the rate is a whopping 47.4 per cent for females. The Economic Review, too, flags this issue. “Female unemployment, particularly in rural areas, is a matter of concern in Kerala,” the Review observed.

Aimless youth

It has brought to the fore yet another crucial aspect. “Productive employment of youth is an essential factor for economic development. In Kerala, the youth account for around 23 per cent of the state’s population. National surveys have shown that the unemployment rate among the youth in Kerala is much higher as compared to that of the overall population and it reveals the severity of the unemployment problem among the youth in Kerala,” the Review said. The unemployment rate of Kerala youth is 21.7 per cent for rural areas and 18 per cent for urban areas.

In Kerala, employment in the organised sector has remained more or less stagnant, showing only a marginal increase from 10.89 lakh in 2012 to 12.14 lakh in 2018. The reason behind this trend is due to the movement of the labour force to the sectors which provides more employment in the state. It perhaps is also a reflection of a swelling entrepreneurship among the Kerala youth.

The organised sector comprises private and public sectors and since 2011 private sector employment has been steadily increasing. In 2018, out of 12.14 lakh persons employed in the organised sector, 5.54 lakh (46 per cent) are in the public sector and 6.60 lakh (54 percent) are in the private sector.

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