According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) 2022 report, Chhattisgarh ranks on top with the lowest unemployment rates, with 99.6 out of 100 people in Chhattisgarh being employed in some form of employment.
Current Scenario
Chhattisgarh, spanning in geographical area of 1,92,000 square kilometers, has a 2.56 crore population with a sex ratio of 964. The Scheduled Casts and Scheduled Tribes comprise 12.8% and 30.6% of a prominent share of the state population.
With a literacy rate of 70.30%, Chhattisgarh encloses a male literacy rate of 80.27% and a female literacy rate of 60.24%, respectively. The state’s 76.8% of the population lives in rural areas while 23.2% in urban areas.
Unemployment Rate in Chhattisgarh
The 2 (PLFS) 2022–23 informs that unemployment among youth between 15–29 in Chhattisgarh was registered at 7.1%, whereas male and female unemployment rates were marked at 7.7% and 6.1%, respectively.
In the youth population, the rural unemployment rate was 4.7%, while 21.1% for urban unemployment. Within the specified working age population of 15–59, Chhattisgarh’s unemployment rate was recorded at 2.7%, including males at 3.0% and females at 2.1%.
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Employment Stats
While several sectors are performing well in the economy, they can still not generate adequate employment opportunities. On the other hand, recruitment in the public sector continues to be a primary focal point among the young generation, given their job security, better pay, recognition, and diversification.
In the private sector, the higher-level positions are filled by candidates from other states, given their higher education and technical skills required by the private offices and showcases.
In rural areas, primary sectors remain dominant in Chhattisgarh, with 67.3% dependent on them. However, with higher employment rates, the population tackles with lower income and often has limited resources.
The rural population faces challenges in accessing electricity and transportation facilities by government bodies.
While 74.17% of the rural population is engaged in agriculture, in urban areas, 18.48% employable population is engaged in wholesale and retail trade and repair of motor vehicles, 13.97%, 13.97% in manufacturing, and 12.11% in the construction sector, as mentioned in Rajiv Gandhi Institute for Contemporary Studies recent report.
Challenges
In Status and Prospects of Employment Generation and Wage Enhancement in Chhattisgarh 2024–2029, it was highlighted that the majority of higher level positions in private sectors are filled by talents coming from other states, reflecting the urgent need for improving the state’s education system and encouraging the youth for higher education.
While most rural population looks employed, they often struggle with insufficient income generated from the primary sector, particularly agriculture. Many farmers don’t own agricultural land and usually have to share crop produce with landowners.
Additionally, rural youth find themselves involved in low-paying gigs or opting for labor jobs instead of technical or employable skill-building.
Compared to urban areas, rural kids are less educated, and most hold secondary or higher secondary schooling as their highest education level. This factor strongly emphasizes strengthening educational infrastructure and ensuring the regular availability of skilled teachers in rural areas.
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Government Initiatives
To tackle this growing challenge, the state government has offered Berojgari Bhatta Yojana an unemployment allowance of Rs 2,500 per month to youth who have passed minimum higher secondary and have an aggregate family income of up to 2,50,000 per annum.
Additionally, the government has also declared increased minimum wages in various classes of employment, including Rs 10,900 total pay per month for the unskilled category and Rs 13,110 total pay per month for the highly skilled category; the wage variation is subject to change as per employment class and different zones.
Concern of Locals
Unemployment has become a primary concern among the people of Chhattisgarh; they want better education, enough employment opportunities in various sectors, and better pay for the work they perform in various sectors.
Government employees are hesitant about whether their kids will get employed in the government sector even after spending years on government exam preparations.
On the other hand, small business owners in the state worry about financing businesses and hiring local talents with the right set of employable skills.
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