Ernakulam records India’s lowest NEET rate among 100 populous districts at 9.6%: PLFS data

New Delhi: Ernakulam in Kerala has recorded the country's lowest rate of young people neither employed, studying nor undergoing training among the 100 most populous districts, according to India's first district-level labour market estimates released by the National Statistical Office on Friday.

The district's NEET rate, the proportion of people aged 15-29 who are not in employment, education or training, stood at 9.6 per cent. Coimbatore followed at 14.5 per cent and Bengaluru Urban at 15 per cent.

The figures, released as part of the revamped Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), provide district-level estimates of labour force participation rate (LFPR), worker population ratio (WPR), unemployment rate (UR) and NEET for the first time.

The data show significant variations in labour-market outcomes across the country, with differences visible not only in unemployment but also in workforce participation and the engagement of young people.

Wide variation in youth engagement

Around 76.2 per cent of districts recorded NEET rates below 30 per cent, while 23.7 per cent reported rates above 30 per cent.

The district-level estimates offer a more detailed picture of employment and youth participation than national or state-level figures, highlighting substantial differences even among large population centres.

Female workforce participation varies sharply

The data also point to wide disparities in women's participation in the labour market.

Among districts selected from each state's 10 most populous districts by female population, Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh recorded the highest female LFPR at 80.9 per cent. It was followed by Budgam in Jammu and Kashmir at 71.4 per cent, Mayurbhanj in Odisha at 71.8 per cent and Surguja in Chhattisgarh at 69 per cent.

At the lower end, East Delhi recorded a female LFPR of 18.9 per cent, followed by Siwan in Bihar at 24.7 per cent and Patiala in Punjab at 39.3 per cent.

Overall, 57.8 per cent of districts recorded a female LFPR of at least 40 per cent, underlining the considerable regional variation in women's participation in the workforce.

Surat leads major districts in labour participation

Surat in Gujarat recorded the highest LFPR and WPR among major districts, at 68.6 per cent and 67.8 per cent respectively. Araria in Bihar and Salem in Tamil Nadu followed.

Darbhanga in Bihar recorded the lowest levels for both indicators.

Across the country, LFPR and WPR for people aged 15 and above were within the 40-80 per cent range in about 98 per cent of districts.

More than half of all districts, or 52.7 per cent, recorded LFPR between 60 per cent and 80 per cent, while 54.3 per cent had WPR between 40 per cent and 60 per cent.

Among the 100 most populous districts, WPR ranged from 37.3 per cent to 76.7 per cent.

Most districts report moderate unemployment

District-level unemployment was concentrated in relatively moderate ranges. About 43.1 per cent of districts recorded unemployment rates between 0.5 per cent and 3 per cent, while 34.7 per cent fell in the 3 per cent to 5.5 per cent range.

Only 14.9 per cent of districts reported unemployment above 5.5 per cent, while 7.2 per cent recorded rates below 0.5 per cent.

Among the 100 most populous districts, South 24 Parganas in West Bengal and Araria in Bihar reported the lowest unemployment rate at 0.9 per cent, followed by Ahmedabad at 1.1 per cent.

The district-level estimates underline how sharply labour-market conditions can differ across India, with variations extending beyond unemployment to workforce participation, women's employment and the proportion of young people engaged in work, education or training.