Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: Goa has emerged as the state with the highest unemployment rate in the country, as per the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The survey indicates that Goa recorded an unemployment rate of 8.3 per cent between January and December 2025, significantly higher than the national average of 3.1 per cent.
Nagaland followed with 6.7 per cent, while Arunachal Pradesh reported 6.6 per cent. Other states with comparatively higher unemployment included Manipur (5.9 per cent), Punjab (5.3 per cent), Uttarakhand (5.1 per cent), Telangana (5 per cent), Meghalaya (4.8 per cent), Haryana (4.5 per cent), Himachal Pradesh (4.5 per cent), and Rajasthan (4.3 per cent).
On the other end of the spectrum, Gujarat recorded the lowest unemployment rate at 0.9 per cent. Madhya Pradesh (1.5 per cent), Karnataka (2.3 per cent), Chhattisgarh (2.3 per cent), and Maharashtra (2.4 per cent) also reported relatively lower figures.
The nationwide survey covered approximately 1.48 lakh households and 6.56 lakh individuals, spanning various educational backgrounds from primary schooling to postgraduate levels.
Within Goa, rural areas showed a higher unemployment rate of 11.9 per cent, compared to 6.1 per cent in urban regions. Among rural residents, unemployment stood at 12.1 per cent for men and 11.4 per cent for women. In urban areas, the rate was 6.6 per cent for men and 4.8 per cent for women.
State authorities have previously maintained that the figures may not fully reflect ground realities. According to officials, many individuals who are already employed in the private sector continue to keep their names registered with employment exchanges in hopes of securing government jobs, which could inflate the overall unemployment data.
Among Union Territories, the Andaman and Nicobar Islands reported the highest unemployment rate at 10 per cent. Lakshadweep followed with 6.9 per cent, Chandigarh with 5.7 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir with 4.9 per cent, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli recorded 1.6 per cent.
