The rate of unemployment rose from 7.3 per cent in 1999-2000 to 8.35 per cent in 2004-05, the Rajya Sabha was informed on Wednesday.

"As per the National Sample Survey Organisation's 61^st round survey report, unemployment rate on current daily status basis has increased from 6.1 in 1993-94 to per cent to 7.3 per cent in 1999-2000 and further to 8.35 per cent in 2004-05," Labour and Employment Minister Oscar Fernandes said in a written reply.

"This was because the working age population grew faster that the total population and labour force participation rates increased, particularly among young women," he said.

The 11th Five-Year Plan has special schemes to encourage the organised sector to employ more labour and simultaneously, to improve labour productivity in the unorganised sector.

It also aims at making employment generation an integral part of the growth process and devise strategies to accelerate not only growth of employment but also wages of poorly paid workers, he said.

"Efforts are also being made to identify and implement systemic reforms in administration of Industrial Training Institutes so as to facilitate closer interaction with the industry in order to improve quality of training, make the graduate better employable and help them earn decent wages," Fernandes added.