Economy Lower is better

Unemployment Rate

Share of the labour force that is unemployed (not working but actively seeking work), under the usual status (ps+ss) concept.

Tamil Nadu's unemployment rate is 3.0% % (2023-24), per National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI.

Tamil Nadu, latest

3.0%

2023-24

Last verified 2026-05-14

Change

-14.3%

2011-12 → 2023-24

Rank vs compared states

#5 of 5

TN vs MH, KA, GJ, UP · lower is better

Tamil Nadu's Unemployment rate is 3.0% (2023-24), down +14.3% since 2011-12. It ranks #5 of 5 compared states (lower is better).

Read this number carefully

Series break at 2017-18: Source switched from NSS Quinquennial EUS (68th round, 2011-12) to the continuous PLFS. Sample design and reference period definitions differ; the 2011-12 point is a one-off benchmark and should not be trend-compared to PLFS values without caveats.. Values before and after are not directly comparable.

Source Official National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI Coverage 2011-12 – 2023-24 Sources & methodology ↓

About this indicator

This is the share of people in the labour force who are actively seeking work but cannot find it, so it counts only those already looking and excludes people outside the labour force altogether. Because of that, a low unemployment rate can coexist with weak job creation if many people have simply withdrawn from the labour market, which is why it should be read alongside participation and worker-population ratios. Usual-status measurement smooths over seasonal and short-term joblessness common in agriculture and informal work.

Unemployment rate · 2011-12 – 2023-24

Tamil Nadu's Unemployment rate fell from 3.5% (2011-12) to 3.0% (2023-24).

Source: National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI

Compare with Maharashtra, Karnataka, Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh

1 TN Tamil Nadu 3.0% 2023-24
2 UP Uttar Pradesh 2.5% 2023-24
3 MH Maharashtra 2.2% 2023-24
4 KA Karnataka 1.5% 2023-24
5 GJ Gujarat 1.1% 2023-24

Tamil Nadu highlighted. Each row shows that state's value and the year it is from. Compare like years with care.

Where this data comes from

The provenance of every value above and how to cite it.

Source provenance

Observations come from 2 distinct sources, segmented below by period.

Click any segment to open the source publication and verify the values yourself.

Methodology & notes

PLFS Annual Report estimates, usual status (ps+ss), all ages, total (rural+urban). UR = unemployed ÷ labour force × 100. PLFS years are July–June.

Known series breaks

2017-18: Source switched from NSS Quinquennial EUS (68th round, 2011-12) to the continuous PLFS. Sample design and reference period definitions differ; the 2011-12 point is a one-off benchmark and should not be trend-compared to PLFS values without caveats.

Alternate sources tracked