Examining CMIE report on high unemployment rate in Goa: CMO

Goa Chief Ministers Office (CMO) on Thursday said it is examining details of a Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) report which has pegged unemployment rate in the state in November at 34.5 per cent, the highest in the country. Calling the 34.5 per cent unemployment rate as "statistical outlier", it said the government has undertaken substantial recruitment drives in its departments this year and has facilitated the private sector to flourish, resulting in enhanced job opportunities for the locals. While the government is examining the details of the report and the survey conducted by CMIE, it is pertinent to highlight several issues that are apparent from the bare reading of the report, the CMO said in a statement released here.

As per the data of CMIE itself, the unemployment rate in Goa for past years has averaged close to the national average of around 7 per cent with seasonal fluctuations pulling unemployment to as low as 2.1 per cent, it said. Even the unemployment figures of last month, that is October 2019, stands at 9.1 per cent.

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Comparison with the unemployment figure of November 

Further, a comparison with the unemployment figure of the same month (November) in 2018 gives an entirely different picture, wherein unemployment rate was 2.1 per cent, the statement said. The CMO said CMIE's unemployment data for November 2019 for the coastal state needs explanation. The present unemployment figure shows a jump of about 1,600 per cent from November 2018 (month to month), it said. This needs an explanation as the figure is anomalous considering past trends and history. Also, with no out of turn event happening which can explain the reason behind such a jump, the current figure of 34.5 per cent appears to be a statistical outlier, he said. In contrast, the state has undertaken substantial recruitment drives in government this year, and has facilitated the private sector to flourish, resulting in enhanced job opportunities for the locals, the CMO said. It is the endeavour of the government to further facilitate the employment and employability for Goans. The government is committed to the employment cause of Goans, the release added.

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