Unemployment rate of women in Punjab comprises of 10.9 percent

ISLAMABAD: A survey conducted by Punjab Commission on Status of Women (PCSW ) on  “Women’s Economic and Social Wellbeing”  here Tuesday revealed that unemployment rate of women in the Punjab was 10.9 percent.

According to the survey, the rate in rural areas (9.7) is lower than urban areas with 14.3 percent and unemployment rate is lowest for currently married women with 10.0 percent followed by never married women with 11.5 percent.

However, it is much higher for widowed, divorced or separated women with19.2 percent and unemployment rate for the disabled was significantly higher with 26.9 percent as compared to women with no disability with 10.0 percent.

In Punjab, among all employed women of aged 15-64 years 58.3 percent were part time workers who were working less than 35 hours and the proportion of women were part time varies from 59.8 percent in  rural areas to 54.0 percent in urban areas, it said.

The overall under unemployment rate of the currently economically active women aged 15-64 years in Punjab is 1.6 percent which is higher in urban areas as compared to the rural areas.

Report further said that among disabled women aged 15-64 years,51.3 percent were part time employed whereas the under employment rate for the group is 0.7 percent.

Survey stressed that female comprises half of the population so there was need to increase their  labor force participation which would definitely benefit woman itself and to country’s economy and women in country also have great entrepreneurial potential so opportunities were required at national level to engage them in economical activities.

PCSW undertook a set of survey for the project ‘Generating Data to Advance Women’s Economic and Social well-being in Pakistan“.

PCSW is a special institution of the women for promotion of women’s rights and empowerment .