The number of people waiting for a job, despite having a bachelor's, master's degree or research degree, is on the rise in Kerala. Minister V Sivankutty informed the assembly in last June that 37.71 lakh people have registered with employment exchanges and are awaiting jobs. The unemployment rate in the state is eleven per cent. Unemployment rate in Kerala is high compared to the national average. Two years ago, as on June 2020, the unemployment rate in Kerala was 27.3 per cent. The unemployment rate in Kerala during this period was only 20.8 per cent. According to unofficial estimates, there are 40 lakh unemployed educated people and 5 lakh women who have lost jobs in Kerala.

Second in country
After Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala has the highest youth unemployment in the country. The Periodic Labour Force Survey of the National Sample Survey Organization has found that 43 per cent of the youth in Kerala are unemployed. In October 2019, the unemployment rate for 15- to 29-year-olds was 36.3 percent. It is increasing every year. Before Covid, Kerala had the highest youth unemployment rate in the country at 36.3 per cent. Later, Jammu and Kashmir topped the list with a rate of 43.9 per cent. Kerala ranks second in the country when all age groups are included. With 17.8 per cent, Jammu and Kashmir is in the front. Unemployment in Gujarat is only four per cent. Unemployment is 8.9 per cent in Tamil Nadu and 7.1 per cent in Karnataka.