India's jobless rate jumps to 7.83pc in April: CMIE

India's unemployment rate rose to 7.83 per cent in April from 7.60 per cent in March, data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) showed on Sunday.

The urban unemployment rate rose to 9.22 per cent in April from 8.28 per cent the previous month, while the rural unemployment rate slipped to 7.18 per cent from 7.29 per cent, the data showed.

The highest unemployment rate of 34.5 per cent was recorded in the northern state of Haryana, followed by 28.8 per cent in Rajasthan.

Economists say job opportunities have been hit by sluggish domestic demand and the slow pace of economic recovery amid rising prices.

Retail inflation rose to a 17-month high of 6.95 per cent in March, and is likely to peak around 7.5 per cent later this year, Shilan Shah, economist at Capital Economics, Singapore, said in a note on Saturday. He expects a repo rate hike by the central bank in June.

The data from the Mumbai-based CMIE is closely watched by economists and policymakers as the government does not release its own monthly figures.

They have also been watching the falling labour participation rate - the proportion of people in employment or seeking work among the working population. That slipped to 39.5 per cent in March 2022 from 43.7 per cent in March 2019, according to CMIE's earlier data, as millions lost jobs during the pandemic.