India’s unemployment rate 2%, lowest among G-20 nations: Govt cites World Economic Forum report

Citing the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025, Union Minister for Labour and Employment and Youth Affairs and Sports, Mansukh Mandaviya announced on Monday that India’s unemployment rate has fallen to just 2 per cent, the lowest among G20 countries. The minister attributed this milestone to India’s sustained economic growth, robust job creation across sectors and enabling government schemes.

Mandaviya made the remarks while addressing a gathering in the capital at the signing of two significant Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Ministry of Labour and Employment and Mentor Together and Quikr. The partnerships aim to enhance employment opportunities and youth employability via the National Career Service (NCS) portal. The ceremony was attended by Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje.

NCS portal: A one-stop employment ecosystem

Highlighting the growing reach of the NCS portal, Mandaviya revealed that it now hosts:

• 52 lakh registered employers
• 5.79 crore registered job seekers
• 7.22 crore mobilised vacancies

Currently, the portal lists 44 lakh active job vacancies. Over the past year alone, the ministry signed MoUs with 10 major organisations, including Amazon and Swiggy, mobilising nearly five lakh job opportunities.

“The NCS platform is no longer just a job board; it is evolving into a holistic digital ecosystem for employment-related services,” Mandaviya emphasised.

Youth-centric flagship initiatives

The minister highlighted the government’s renewed focus on youth employment, recalling Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s announcement of a Rs2 lakh crore package for skilling, employment and entrepreneurial opportunities benefiting 4.1 crore young people.

A key highlight of this package is the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY), with a budgetary outlay of Rs99,446 crore, aimed at generating 3.5 crore jobs within two years. Of these, 1.92 crore jobs are designated for first-time entrants into the workforce.

“The government is committed not just to job creation but also to fostering entrepreneurship and self-reliance through transformative schemes like MUDRA and PM SVANidhi,” he said.

MoUs to strengthen employment ecosystem

The partnership with Mentor Together is expected to benefit two lakh youth in its first year—one lakh from the NCS database and another lakh from PM-VBRY entrants. The initiative will provide personalised career mentoring at the city and district levels, leveraging the expertise of over 24,000 trained professionals.

The renewed MoU with Quikr will further expand access to employment opportunities, integrating 1,200 daily job listings across more than 1,200 cities into the NCS portal. This collaboration will especially benefit rural and underserved regions by offering real-time job access.

“These partnerships reflect our vision of a future-ready, digital, and inclusive employment model,” Mandaviya said, welcoming the collaboration.

Building an inclusive future

Union Minister of State Karandlaje praised the NCS portal for emerging as India’s premier digital employment facilitation platform, offering job matching, counselling and skilling services.

“This collaboration will not only help young people find jobs but also provide them with structured guidance and mentoring,” she stated.

By bridging the gap between job seekers and the private sector, the Ministry hopes to ensure that every young Indian—especially those from underserved backgrounds—has access to meaningful employment and growth opportunities.

Mandaviya expressed optimism saying, “These initiatives will ensure that the future of this country, and of its youth, is bright.”