India’s unemployment rate at 2%: Mansukh Mandaviya cites WEF report, highlights 44 lakh vacancies

India has recorded an unemployment rate of 2%, the lowest among the G20 nations, according to the World Economic Forum’s ‘The Future of Jobs Report 2025’, Union minister for labour and employment and youth affairs and sports Mansukh Mandaviya said.

The minister attributed the improvement in employment rate to India’s rapid economic growth and government schemes.

During the event, two agreements were signed between the ministry of labour and employment and ‘Mentor Together’ and ‘Quikr’ to enhance job access and career guidance for youth through the National Career Service (NCS) portal.

Addressing the event, Mandaviya said that nearly 52 lakh employers and 5.79 crore job seekers had registered in the NCS platform. Over 7.22 crore vacancies have been mobilized.

“The National Career Service (NCS) platform, with nearly 52 lakh registered employers, 5.79 crore job seekers and over 7.22 crore vacancies mobilized, is now evolving to offer not just job listings, but as a one-stop solution for all employment-related services,” Mandaviya said.

The ministry had collaborated with 10 key organisations, including Amazon and Swiggy, and these partnerships have mobilised nearly 5 lakh vacancies.

Currently, there are over 44 lakh active vacancies on the NCS portal, he added.

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Centre’s employment schemes

The minister highlighted the five flagship schemes announced at the start of PM Narendra Modi’s third term, with a total budget of Rs 2 lakh crore to support employment, skilling, and opportunities for 4.1 crore youth.

Mandaviya said the flagship Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY) — with an allocation of Rs 99,446 crore — aims to create over 3.5 crore jobs in two years, including 1.92 crore for first-time entrants to the workforce.

He also talked about the importance of employment creation through the growth of services, manufacturing, and agriculture, noting that the Government has launched transformative schemes such as MUDRA and PM SVANidhi to promote self-employment and entrepreneurship.

New partnership to boost employment

Talking about the partnership with Mentor Together, the minister said it is expected to reach two lakh youth in its first year, including one lakh from NCS and Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana entrants.

“It will also enable first-time job seekers, particularly those from underserved backgrounds, to access personalized guidance from over 24,000 trained professionals,” he added.

The partnership renewal with Quikr aims at integrating over 1,200 daily job listings across 1,200 plus cities from Quikr Jobs into the NCS portal. “This collaboration will expand real-time access to job opportunities for millions of seekers, especially from rural and underserved regions, the ministry added.

“Together, these partnerships reflect a future-ready employment model—one that is digital, inclusive, and dignified,” it added.

While the World Economic Forum figure cited by Mandaviya shows India’s unemployment rate at 2%, official surveys such as the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report the rate at 5.2% in July 2025. However, the figures cannot be compared due to different methodology and assessment.