Bhubaneswar, July 23 -- The youth unemployment rate in Odisha remains grim. For the second year in a row, the rate of joblessness among the youths (15-29 years age-group) in the State wasin double-digits. Among the major states, excluding small, hilly and north-eastern states, in the youth unemployment rate, Odisha figured among the dubious top-5list.

As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2019-20 released today, the youth unemployment rate in Odisha has been measured at 19.6 per cent. Around one in every five youths in the State have no job at hand. While the rural youth unemployment rate in the State has been estimated at 18.8 per cent, the urban number is 22.9 per cent.

In absolute number, more than 18.6 lakh youths in the ag...