The unemployment rate increases in Nagaland<\/a> as one reaches a higher educational level and apart from having the highest unemployment rate in India at 19.2%, Nagaland is also encountering a more major challenge of giving employment opportunities to its \u2018educated persons,\u2019 as revealed in the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2020-21 report.<\/p>\n The report for July 2020 to June 2021 released on June 14 showed that nearly one-third of \u2018educated persons\u2019 in the state were unemployed. The unemployment rate showed an increasing trend as the level of education increased.\u00a0 It is worrisome that the unemployment rate increased considerably as one climbed the educational ladder.<\/p>\n Specifically, it stated that the unemployment rate among the \u2018educated\u2019 (15 years and above) was 30.8% against the All-India average of 9.1%.<\/p>\n As compared with the overall rate, the rate was highest in Nagaland among the States and Union Territories (UTs) in India.<\/p>\n The survey carried out by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), defined educated persons as \u201cthose who have attained the educational level of secondary and above.\u201d In terms of what the survey considered as \u201chighest level of education successfully completed,\u201d it may be understood as matriculation.<\/p>\n According to the latest Nagaland Economic Survey 2021-22 published by the Department of Economics & Statistics, there were 77,746 applicants in the employment exchanges on December 31, 2021. Out of this, 23,621 were graduates and 6,303 postgraduates.<\/p>\n Interestingly, unemployment among those with \u2018diploma or certificate’ course were given as zero, while it was 14.2% nationally.<\/p>\n This unemployment among the educated could be mostly attributed to a lack of sufficient jobs, both in absolute and relative terms, commensurating with their degrees as self-employment and casual labour are counted in the survey parameters of employment. Another reason could be a lack of skill development and quality of education or simply waiting for the government sector, as the unemployment rate among diplomas and certificates (mostly skilled-based) is shown to be nil.<\/p>\n As reported earlier by The Morung Express,<\/a> a total of 55.2% in the 15-29 years age group, termed as youth in the survey, were unemployed from July 2020 to June 2021 in Nagaland against the all India rate of 12.9%.<\/p>\n