ISLAMABAD - Pakistan’s unemployment rate has increased to 6.9 per cent in fiscal year 2018-19 despite tall claims of the incumbent government to provide ten million jobs in its five years constitutional tenure.
The Labour Force Survey (LSF) 2018-19, released by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, revealed that unemployment rate jumped from 5.8 per cent in 2017-18 to 6.9 per cent in the 2018-19. Increase is observed both in case of males from 5.1 per cent to 5.9 per cent and females from 8.3 per cent to 10 per cent. Generally, rate in females is more pronounced as compared to males and the same is observed during the comparative periods. 
Area wise disaggregated figures indicate that unemployment rate in urban areas has enhanced from 7.2 per cent to 7.9 per cent during the comparative period due to reverse configuration in males and females rates while increase is noticeable in the rural areas (5.0 per cent, 6.4 per cent). The sex disaggregated figures show that increase is more pronounced in case of rural females (5.9 per cent, 8.5 per cent) than that of rural males (4.7 per cent, 5.5 per cent) during the comparative period.
The volume of unemployed persons increases by 0.92 million from 3.79 million in 2017-18 to 4.71 million in 2018-19. Area and sex wise configuration suggests that changes are more significant in rural areas and, for females. Volume of unemployed increased in all provinces in descending order of Punjab (0.66 million) and KP (0.33 million), Balochistan (0.05 million) except in Sindh (-0.14 million) where decline is observed. Change is more pronounced in the case of females in Punjab and KP compared to Sindh and Balochistan. Further, the change is more visible in rural than urban areas in KP and Punjab while almost the same variation both in rural and urban figures in Sindh and Balochistan. 
The LFS2018-19 showed that literacy rate overall trends up (62.3 per cent, 62.4 per cent). Increase is noted in the case of males from 72.5 per cent to 73 per cent while decrease is observed in the case of females from 51.8 per cent to 51.5 per cent. Area-wise rates suggest an increase in literacy rate in rural from 53.3 per cent to 53.7 per cent). Meanwhile, decrease in literacy rate is observed in urban rates from 76.6 per cent to 76.1 per cent. Male-female disparity seems to be narrowing down with the time span. 
Literacy rate has declined in all provinces: KP from 55.3 per cent to 52.4 per cent, Sindh (62.2 per cent to 61.6 per cent) and Balochistan (55.5 per cent, 53.9 per cent) except in Punjab (64.7 per cent to 66.1 per cent) where significant increase is observed. In LFS 2018-19, defunct FATA is merged in KP as a result decline is observed in literacy rate.
The LFS 2018-19 also showed marital status consists of mainly in the categories of never married and married. Widowed and divorced constitute minute part of the configuration (0.05 million) except in Sindh (-0.14 million) where decline is observed. Change is more pronounced in the case of females in Punjab and KP compared to Sindh and Balochistan. Further, the change is more visible in rural than urban areas in KP and Punjab while almost the same variation both in rural and urban figures in Sindh and Balochistan. Never married scale down (42.3%, 41.8%) while married (53.5%, 54.1%) trend up widowed (3.9%, 3.8%) decrease a bit and divorced (0.3%, 0.3%) level same during the comparative period.