Since its formation in 1957, Kerala has grappled with the persistent challenge of unemployment. Every edition of the Kerala Economic Review (KER) published by successive state governments has acknowledged that unemployment remains a significant issue.
For instance, the 1962 Kerala Economic Review reported that approximately 7.6 lakh Keralites were unemployed at the time, with an additional 1.28 lakh individuals, both under 15 and over 55, available for work. The review also noted that around 11 percent of the male and 21 percent of the female labour force—of a total workforce of about 54.6 lakh—were unemployed. This amounted to roughly 14 percent of the total labour force being without jobs in 1962.
The same document revealed that the intensity of unemployment in Kerala stood at 2.44, with West Bengal slightly ahead at 2.6, making it the state with the highest unemployment rate at the time.
Fast forward to 2024, and the Periodic Labour Force Survey 2023-24 (PLFS) reveals an alarming unemployment rate of 27.7 percent among Keralites aged 15 to 29. Jammu and Kashmir tops the list with a 29.7 percent unemployment rate, followed closely by Odisha at 28 percent. The national average is 16.8 percent.