The state of West Bengal witnessed a major political shift in 2011, when All India Trinamool Congress (AITC or TMC) won the assembly elections and brought down the curtain on Left Front’s 34-year-old rule.
When Mamata Banerjee first became the chief minister, few people would have predicted the kind of stronghold she would later enjoy in the state. Since 2011, Banerjee has been at the helm of the state politics. In the last assembly elections held in 2021, the TMC had received an overwhelming majority of 213 seats (out of 290).
In this series, The Quint will publish different stories highlighting the kind of development and challenges faced by the people of West Bengal under the leadership of Banerjee's government. The first part will look at how successful she has been in curbing unemployment in the state.
What Does the Data Tell About Unemployment in West Bengal?
As per the official Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, the unemployment rate (15 years and above age group) according to usual status in 2017-18 in West Bengal was at 4.6
This decreased to 3.8 percent in 2018-19, however, the state experienced an increase in the unemployment rate in 2019-20 at 4.6 percent. The West Bengal government managed to bring down the rate to 3.5 percent in 2020-21.
The years 2020 and 2021 were plagued with different issues posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which saw businesses shutting down and putting jobs of people at risk.
2019-21 were plagued with different issues due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The unemployment rate for all India in 2020-21 stood at 4.2 percent.
The Third Wave of TMC & Banerjee in West Bengal
As pointed out in this report before, the TMC won the majority number of seats in the West Bengal assembly elections marking the return of Banerjee as the chief minister for her third consecutive term.
The year of 2021-22 saw an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent, which further declined to 2.2 percent in 2022-23.
The PLFS report showed a small increase in the unemployment rate in 2023-24 at 2.5 percent.
It should be noted that the state of West Bengal has consistently experienced a lower unemployment rate than the national average since 2017-18, which can be seen in the different PLFS annual reports.
(Data sourced: Year, Region, Gender, Age Group and State wise Unemployment Rate according to usual status [Dataset]. Dataful.)
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