New Delhi [India], July 20 : The latest reply by the Union Ministry of Labour and Employment in Parliament has exposed the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) coalition government's claims of creating large-scale employment in Andhra Pradesh.
According to a press release, the official data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) shows that unemployment has not come down under the present government despite repeated announcements of massive investments and job creation.
According to the Union Government, the unemployment rate in Andhra Pradesh stood at 4.1 per cent in 2023-24, the final year of the YSRCP government. After the TDP coalition came to power, the first Annual PLFS report for 2025 showed the unemployment rate had increased to 4.2 per cent. Urban unemployment also rose from 5.9 per cent to 6.2 per cent, while rural unemployment remained unchanged at 3.4 per cent. The report further revealed that unemployment among youth aged 15 to 29 years stood at a worrying 16.2 per cent in Andhra Pradesh, the release stated.
These official figures directly contradict the TDP government's repeated claims that it has attracted huge investments and generated lakhs of jobs. If employment opportunities had actually increased as claimed, the unemployment rate should have declined instead of rising. The data clearly indicates that job creation has failed to keep pace with the growing number of job seekers.
The release noted that the Union Government's reply also states that several Central schemes for employment generation, skill development, MSME promotion, entrepreneurship and apprenticeship are being implemented across the country. However, despite these programmes and the TDP government's promises, Andhra Pradesh has not witnessed any meaningful reduction in unemployment.
The official PLFS figures make it clear that unemployment has not decreased under the TDP coalition government. Instead, the data points to stagnation and deterioration, especially in urban areas and among the youth, raising serious questions about the government's claims on employment generation.