India kissing goodbye to demographic dividend

Weekly estimates show that the unemployment rate has regained its higher levels in the two weeks ended February 3 and February 10

The unemployment rate continues to rise. It has been rising steadily since July 2017 when it had reached its recent low of 3.4 per cent. The relentless rise in unemployment led to it peaking at 7.4 per cent in December 2018. Then it fell to 7.1 per cent in January. But faster-frequency estimations such as the weekly estimates and the 30-day moving average suggest a resurgence of the unemployment rate in February.

The 30-day moving average, which signalled a fall in the unemployment rate in early January, now shows an upturn from February 4. The 30-dma seems to have bottomed