As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey of 2024, the unemployment rate among individuals with secondary education and above was 7.1 percent, the highest among other levels of education. Although the unemployment rate within this category fell from the previous financial year. Potential of the education sectorIndia's education sector is estimated to be valued at around 117 billion U.S. dollars, and it is expected to grow to 225 billion U.S. dollars by 2025. It is a growing trend for many young Indians to attain two or three degrees in the hope of attaining a job. One of the largest young populations in the world presents a unique opportunity for the country in the education sector. Educated unemployed Youth unemployment in India was over 15 percent in 2023. This is despite the abundance of highly educated professionals. The data suggests a sharp mismatch between the skills of the labor force and job creation. The lack of jobs in the non-farm sector for the newly graduated young population is a major cause of worry for the Indian economy.

In 2023, the estimated youth unemployment rate in India was at 15.67 percent. According to the source, the data are ILO estimates. For the past decade, India’s youth unemployment rate has been hovering around the 22 percent mark. What is the youth unemployment rate?The youth unemployment rate refers to those in the workforce who are aged 15 to 24 years and without a job, but actively seeking one. Generally, youth unemployment rates are higher than the adult unemployment rates, and India is no exception: youth unemployment in India is significantly higher than the national unemployment rate. The Indian workforce, young and oldIndia’s unemployment rate in general is not remarkably high when compared to those of other countries. Both India’s unemployment rate and youth unemployment rate are below their global equivalents. In a comparison of the Asia-Pacific region countries, India ranks somewhere in the middle, with Cambodia’s unemployment rate being estimated to be below one percent, and Afghanistan’s the highest at 8.8 percent.

In a survey conducted between July 2023 and June 2024, the worker-population ratio (WPR) for different education levels was the highest among technical education like diploma or certificate course holders at over 70 percent. The WPR was also higher at the lower levels of education such as primary education and below.