Srinagar- Jammu and Kashmir’s unemployment rate stood at 6.1 per cent during the July–September quarter of 2025, higher than the national average of 5.2 per cent, Parliament was informed on Monday.
In a written reply to a Rajya Sabha question by MP P Santhosh Kumar, Minister of State for Labour and Employment (Independent Charge) Rao Inderjit Singh said the data was based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin.
According to the figures, urban areas of the Union Territory recorded a significantly higher unemployment rate of 10.6 per cent, compared with 5.1 per cent in rural areas.
The data also revealed a sharp gender disparity, with female unemployment in urban areas touching 20.8 per cent. Male unemployment across rural and urban regions was reported at 4.6 per cent.
Despite higher joblessness, the overall labour force participation rate in Jammu and Kashmir was reported at 61 per cent, exceeding the national average of 55.1 per cent. The Worker Population Ratio in the Union Territory stood at 57.3 per cent.
The minister also informed the House that the National Career Service portal, operated by the Ministry of Labour and Employment, had registered over six crore job seekers and about 54 lakh employers as of November 2025, with the aim of improving employment matching across sectors.‘Literacy Rate In J&K At 82% ‘
The literacy rate in Jammu and Kashmir has been recorded at 82 per cent, according to official data tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The information was shared by the Union Ministry of Education in response to an unstarred question. Minister of State for Education Jayant Chaudhary said the figures are based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2023–24 conducted by the National Sample Survey Office.
The Minister informed that the Government of India is implementing the New India Literacy Programme (NILP), also known as ULLAS – Nav Bharat Saaksharta Karyakram, from 2022 to 2027 to promote literacy among non-literate persons aged 15 years and above who missed formal schooling.
The programme is aligned with the National Education Policy 2020 and is being implemented across all States and Union Territories, including Jammu and Kashmir.
Under the ULLAS framework, literacy is defined not only as the ability to read and write but also to compute with comprehension, along with acquiring essential life skills such as digital and financial literacy. The government has set a benchmark of 95 per cent literacy for declaring a State or Union Territory as fully literate.
The reply further noted that while several States and Union Territories have achieved the fully literate status, Jammu and Kashmir continues its efforts under the ULLAS programme to improve literacy outcomes. (KNO)
