According to data from CMIE in India:

- Unemployment rate (includes both formal and informal sector employment) in India has risen sharply from around 7.5% in early March to almost 23.6% on April 20th

- Labor force participation rate has declined sharply from 42.8% to 35.9%

- The absolute number of unemployed rose from 34mn to 88mn between Feb & April, i.e. an additional 54 million

- An additional 68 million people moved out of the labor force

- So the count of people added to joblessness since COVID-19 is estimated at a staggering 122 million

- Small traders and wage workers comprised the largest fraction of additional jobless individuals, followed by salaried employees

- The jobless seem to have taken up farming to sustain themselves, with the number of farmers in the country increasing

- Naukri Jobspeak Index (a monthly index which captures hiring activity based on job listings on http://Naukri.com"> http://Naukri.com ) fell by 18% YoY in March

- Hospitality, retail, & textiles seem to be the hardest hit, followed by entertainment, autos & construction.