India's unemployment rate lowest among G20 nations at 2%: Mandaviya

India’s unemployment rate of 2% is the lowest among G20 nations, Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Monday, citing the World Economic Forum’s ‘The Future of Jobs Report 2025’.

He said the country’s rapid economic growth has spurred employment generation across sectors, supported by government initiatives.

Mandaviya was speaking at the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) between the Labour Ministry and digital mentorship platform ‘Mentor Together’ and classifieds online site ‘Quikr’.

“The National Career Service (NCS) platform, with nearly 52 lakh registered employers, 5.79 crore job seekers and over 7.22 crore vacancies mobilised, is now evolving to offer not just job listings, but a one-stop solution for all employment-related services. Currently, there are over 44 lakh active vacancies on the portal,” the minister said.

He noted that in the past year, the ministry has signed MoUs with 10 major organisations, including Amazon and Swiggy, mobilising nearly five lakh vacancies.

Highlighting the government’s focus on youth, Mandaviya recalled that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced a ₹2 lakh crore package of five flagship schemes at the start of the government’s third term.

Of this, the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PM-VBRY), with an allocation of ₹99,446 crore, aims to incentivise the creation of 3.5 crore jobs over two years, benefitting 1.92 crore first-time entrants to the workforce.

The minister said employment creation was being driven by growth in services, manufacturing and agriculture, alongside self-employment schemes such as MUDRA and PM SVANidhi.

Welcoming the MoUs with Mentor Together and Quikr, he said the partnerships would enhance job opportunities and structured mentoring for youth.

“It will ensure that the future of this country, and of its youth, is bright,” he added.

Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said NCS had emerged as India’s premier digital platform for employment facilitation, offering job matching, counselling and skilling in one place.

The partnership with Mentor Together will provide career mentoring to two lakh youth in its first year, including one lakh entrants under PM-VBRY, with the support of 24,000 trained professionals.

The renewed MoU with Quikr will integrate over 1,200 daily job listings across 1,200-plus cities from Quikr Jobs into the NCS portal, expanding real-time access to opportunities, especially in rural and underserved regions.

"Currently, there are over 44 lakh active vacancies on the portal. Over the past year, the ministry has signed MoUs with ten key organisations, including Amazon and Swiggy. These partnerships have already mobilised nearly five lakh vacancies," Mandaviya said.