Agencies
BENGALURU, FEBRUARY 25
A recent government survey shows that Christians are the most unemployed, compared to other religions. In 2011-12, the community held an unemployment rate of 4.5 percent in rural areas and 5.9 percent in urban and semi-urban areas. Muslims come next with an unemployment rate of 3.9 percent in villages and 2.6 percent in cities and towns, as reported by The Economic Times. As per the National Sample Survey Organization (NSSO), the joblessness in villages has increased among all the religious communities and hence the unemployment rate has been raised from 1.6 percent in 2004-05 to 1.7 percent in 2011-12.
Many view the higher unemployment rate in Christians as a reflection of the higher education levels of community members who are in the job market. Even though the unemployment rate has decreased in cities and towns from 4.5 percent in 2004-05 to 3.4 percent among all religions in 2011-12, it is still higher in villages.
Unemployment rates were lowest for Sikhs in villages with 1.3 percent and Hindus in urban areas with 3.3 percent. The survey results have questioned the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government’s policies for inclusiveness and some analysts have criticized the failure of the policies to create enough employment in rural areas.
