Government has not yet released any official data on unemployment: NITI Aayog on job report

Clearing the air about the news report that stated India had recorded a 45-year high unemployment rate, NITI Aayog vice chairman Rajiv Kumar said on Thursday that the government has not yet released any official data on unemployment as the data was still in process.

"Government did not release the data (on jobs) as it is still being processed. When the data is ready we will release it", Rajiv Kumar said.

He further said it was not correct to rely upon the data (released today).

"Data collection method is different now, we are using a computer-assisted personal interviewee in the new survey. It is not right to compare the two data sets, this data is not verified. It is not correct to use this report as final, " he added.

A media report on Thursday showed the assessment by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) conducted between July 2017-June 2018. According to the report the unemployment rate stood at 6.1 per cent, the highest since 1972-73. 

The report further said that joblessness stood at 7.8 per cent in urban areas compared with 5.3 parts in the countryside.

The report published in a newspaper on Thursday said that the official survey that has been withheld by the government shows India's unemployment rate rose to a 45-year high during 2017-2018.