As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the Unemployment Rate (UR) in…

Concept: The Unemployment Rate (UR) is the percentage of the labour force that is without work but seeking or available for work — UR = (number of unemployed persons ÷ labour force) × 100, where labour force = employed + unemployed persons. In India, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSO) under MoSPI, is the official source for this indicator, reported annually on a "Usual Status (Principal Status + Subsidiary Status)" basis.

Application: The PLFS Annual Report for the period July 2023 - June 2024 recorded the all-India Unemployment Rate (usual status, PS+SS) for persons aged 15 years and above at 3.2% — the same level as the 2022-23 round, continuing the decline from the 2017-18 baseline of 6.0% even though 2023-24 did not fall further than 2022-23.

Cross-check: The MoSPI PLFS Annual Report 2023-24 is the primary official source for this figure, and the release is also summarized in the corresponding PIB press note -- both point to the same official survey result, which pins the figure at 3.2% for this age group and status.

Contrast — how each offered value relates to the published data:

• 5.2% is well above the officially published 2023-24 figure; no PLFS annual round has reported this level for this exact indicator.

• 2.2% is below the officially published 2023-24 figure; the PLFS annual series has not recorded a rate this low for persons aged 15 years and above.

• 4.2% is closer to the general downward trend but still does not match the specific figure published for 2023-24.

• 3.2% matches the officially published PLFS Annual Report figure for 2023-24, corroborated by the 2022-23 round reporting the identical level.

Result: the Unemployment Rate declined from 6% in 2017-18 to 3.2% in 2023-24.