Alarming unemployment figures

India’s unemployment problem is touching crisis levels according to a new report by the Labour Ministry which says that one in three persons in the 15-29 years age group is unemployed despite having a degree. The ‘Youth Employment-Unemployment Scenario 2012-13’ calculates that within the 15-29 years age group, those who can neither read nor write have the lowest unemployment figures at 3.7 per cent. While the unemployment rate in rural areas for graduates is 36.6 per cent, in urban areas the figure stands at 26.5 per cent. Majority of those employed were either self-employed or casual workers. Salaried employees make up only 24 per cent of the works in this category. The survey covered 1,33,354 households, of which 82, 624 were from rural areas while 50,730 from urban areas.