PANAJI
Less than a month after official data placed Goa at the top of India’s unemployment chart, the State government has moved to commission its own study of the job market.
The Department of Planning and Statistics has issued a request for proposal (RFP) to appoint an agency to conduct a State level employment survey.
According to the tender, the study will focus on local criteria rather than national datasets.
Officials argue that existing surveys, including the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), provide limited insight into Goa’s tourism driven, seasonal, self employment and informal economy.
The government says this has led to misinterpretation of the State’s employment reality.
The new survey will examine trends, challenges and opportunities, and provide policy recommendations at the State, district and taluka levels.
The agency selected will be required to complete the study within three months. The methodology will include surveys, interviews, case studies and data analysis, with digital information collected using GPS systems.
A large scale primary survey of employment and industry across all districts and talukas is mandated.
The move follows the PLFS report released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, which showed Goa’s unemployment rate at 8.3 percent between January and December 2025.
This was the highest in the country, compared to the national average of 3.1 percent. Nagaland ranked second at 6.7 percent, followed by Arunachal Pradesh at 6.6 percent. Gujarat reported the lowest rate at 0.9 percent.
In Goa, rural unemployment stood at 11.9 percent, far higher than the 6.1 percent recorded in urban areas. Rural men faced 12.1 percent unemployment, while rural women recorded 11.4 percent. In towns, the rate was 6.6 percent for men and 4.8 percent for women.
The State government had previously claimed that figures are inflated because many individuals employed in private jobs keep their names on the employment exchange register in hope of securing government positions. Officials say this artificially raises the numbers of jobless.
The proposed survey now aims to generate evidence specific to Goa and share it with national institutions. Whether this effort will alter the State’s image as India’s unemployment capital, however, remains to be seen.
