13 August,2026 12:17 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Uddhav Thackeray. File Pic
The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday claimed that the government's frequent assertions about strong economic and industrial growth have been challenged by official employment data presented in Parliament.
In an editorial in the party's mouthpiece, 'Saamana', the Uddhav Thackeray-led party said data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Monday showed that employment opportunities in India had remained largely stagnant over the past year.
According to the party, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data showed little change in key employment indicators, raising questions about the government's claims of sustained economic growth and job creation.
The editorial said the unemployment rate for the current quarter stood at 5.5 per cent, compared with 5.6 per cent a year ago.
Salaried employees accounted for 51.4 per cent of the workforce in June, compared with 51.2 per cent during the same month last year, while the proportion of female workers rose marginally from 32 per cent to 32.7 per cent.
The party said the marginal changes in these figures pointed to limited movement in the employment market. It also claimed that job opportunities in rural areas had continued to decline.
While supporters of the government may view relatively stable unemployment figures as a sign of resilience, the editorial argued that the data point to a deeper problem, particularly among educated young people.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) said India's graduate youth population had reached 6.30 crore, having grown 13-fold over four decades. During the same period, the number of unemployed graduates had increased 16-fold, it claimed.
The editorial further said that six out of every 10 graduate youths were currently unemployed.
Citing an Azim Premji University report, the party said two out of every three unemployed youths held a degree, suggesting that a large section of job seekers possessed formal qualifications but continued to struggle to find employment.
It also claimed that only 12 out of every 1,000 job-seeking youths secured permanent employment.
The Uddhav Thackeray-led party argued that the Statistics Ministry's figures contradicted recent claims made by Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, who had stated that the government created 1.7 crore new jobs annually over its 12-year tenure.
The party said the employment data also supported concerns raised recently by Opposition leader Rahul Gandhi during the "Chatron Ki Goonj" event in Prayagraj regarding unemployment among young people.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) claimed that the government's focus on building a "five trillion" economy had not translated into sufficient job creation.
It also alleged that the administration had failed to fulfil its earlier promise of creating two crore jobs every year, leaving millions of qualified graduates facing uncertainty over their employment prospects.
The editorial used the employment figures to attack the economic policies of the Narendra Modi-led government.
"This is the "mirror" to the Modi government's economic policies, and it has been shown by one of their own ministries. The country's Home Minister, who suggests "fry pakodas if there is no job," and the Prime Minister, who made a "Hello Friends" reel addressing the youth out of fear of protests at Jantar Mantar, need to take a look at themselves in this mirror," it noted.
The Shiv Sena (UBT) said the latest employment figures should prompt the government to reassess its approach to job creation, particularly for educated youth and workers in rural areas.
The editorial argued that headline economic growth figures alone do not reflect the condition of the labour market and said the government's employment record should be assessed alongside the number and quality of jobs available to India's growing workforce.
