NEW DELHI: India's unemployment rate hit a 45-year-high of 6.1 per cent in 2017-18, as per the National Sample Survey Office's (NSSO's) periodic labour force survey (PLFS) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

The latest data on unemployment in India, which is yet to come in public domain, is the first comprehensive survey on employment conducted by a government agency after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced demonetisation move in November 2016. The unemployment rate was at its highest level since 1972-73 - a period from when the jobs data is comparable, the news agency quoted as saying.

The report further said that unemployment was higher in urban areas (7.8%) as compared to 5.3% in rural areas of the country, as mentioned in a report in Business Standard. The unemployment rate among youth reached a record high level in 2017-18 as compared to previous year and 'much higher compared to that in the overall population,' highlighted the report.

"For educated rural females, the unemployment rate ranged between 9.7% to 15.2% between 2004-05 to 2011-12, which rose to 17.3 per cent in 2017-18," the report said. In case of rural educated males, the joblessness rate surged to 10.5 per cent in 2017-18 from 3.5-4.4% between 2004-05 to 2011-12.