Around 17 crore jobs have been added to the workforce in India over six years. As per the Labour and Employment Ministry, employment in India rose to 64 crore 33 lakh in 2023-24 compared to 47 crore 50 lakh in 2017-18, a net addition of 16 crore 83 lakh jobs over six years. Furthermore, the unemployment rate has dipped sharply from 6 percent in 2017-18 to 3.2 percent in 2023-24. The Ministry noted that this is indicative of stronger workforce absorption into productive employment. Youth unemployment rate has also declined from 17.8 percent to 10.2 percent in the same time frame, placing it below the global average of 13.3 percent.

Meanwhile, women are driving the workforce surge, with more than 1 crore 56 lakh females joining the formal sector over the past seven years. Employment patterns have also shifted, with self-employment increasing to 58.4 per cent in 2023-24. The Ministry has credited this growth to startups and Global Capability Centres (GCCs) as key drivers, with India’s 2 lakh nearly DPIIT-recognised startups, the world’s third-largest, creating over 17 lakh jobs and 118 unicorns by 2025. It has also credited initiatives like Skill India, Rozgar Melas, PM Vishwakarma scheme, MGNREGA, PM Viksit Bharat Rojgar Yojana and Lakhpati Didi Scheme amongst many others for this growth.