Amaravati: The unemployment rate in Andhra Pradesh state has declined under the YS Jagan government’s leadership, according to Reserve Bank of India (RBI) data. Ever since the YS Jagan government came to power, it has prioritized filling up government jobs. Simultaneously, policies aimed at enabling micro, small and medium scale industries growth have expanded private job opportunities.

The impact of the state government's job creation efforts can be seen in recent RBI unemployment data. According to the RBI's most recent report, Andhra Pradesh’s unemployment declined in 2022-2023 compared to 2018-2019, during former Chief Minister Chandrababu's tenure.

Since taking office, Chief Minister YS Jagan has not only established village and ward secretariats across the state, but also filled over 10 permanent positions in each rural secretariat and 11 in each urban secretariat. Overall, the YS Jagan government has filled up 4.93 lakh jobs so far, over 2.13 lakh of them permanent. The government has also given top priority to the setting up of micro, small and medium enterprises with an aim to create employment opportunities for the local youth

Under YS Jagan's leadership, the state has seen the establishment of 2.5 lakh new micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). These small businesses have created 1.65 lakh new jobs for the people. Additionally, the government is providing financial assistance to women through schemes such as YSR Cheyutha, YSR Aasara and Kapu Nestham. As a result, lakhs of women are now able to support themselves financially while also creating additional employment opportunities within their communities.

The state government is providing extensive job training to help prepare students for campus recruitment, through which 1.2 lakh youth have already secured jobs. According to the available data, in 2018-2019 under former Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu, unemployment stood at 45 jobless individuals per 1,000 people in rural areas. By 2022-2023 under CM YS Jagan, the rural unemployment rate had dropped to 33 per 1,000 people. Similarly, urban unemployment has fallen from 73 per 1,000 to 65 per 1,000 over the same period. The downward unemployment trends hold for both men and women in rural and urban areas.

Zero employment generation under TDP regime

The previous TDP government under Chandrababu did not bother to create employment opportunities for the state's youth or fill government positions. Instead, they prioritized hiring consultants and agencies from outside the state and country. A mere 34,000 jobs were filled during the entire five years of Chandrababu's term. Consequently, unemployment rates in rural areas and towns remained extremely high under Naidu’s leadership.