Trump’s Tariffs and Indian Jobs: Latest PLFS Data and Market Turmoil

Hello Readers, Himadri here from TechaDigi.Com. If you’ve been following my blogs on innovative platforms like Zoho Corporate’s cloud solutions or Arattai’s seamless messaging ecosystem, you know I love dissecting how global events intersect with tech and digital economies.

Today, we’re zooming out to a bigger picture: President Donald Trump’s aggressive tariff policies in 2025. With tariffs now hitting 100% on China and spillover effects on Indian economy (including that 25% duty on our exports tied to Russian oil), the ripples are real. Building on the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data, I’ll explore not just job vulnerabilities but also the chaos in crypto, Indian stock indices like NIFTY 50 and SENSEX, precious metals like gold and silver, and the US market. Let’s unpack this—data-driven and straightforward, as always.

India’s Labor Market Under Tariff Pressure: Key PLFS Q2 2025 Takeaways
The PLFS from India’s National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for April-June 2025 shows a labor market that’s bouncing back but still wobbly. Unemployment dipped to 7.8% overall, from 8.1% last quarter—urban at 8.9%, rural at 7.2%. That’s better than post-COVID highs, but we’re nowhere near the 2019 low of 6.1%. Job growth? Up 1.2% QoQ, adding about 5.2 million roles, mostly in agriculture (45%) and services (38%). Manufacturing, however, is sluggish at just 0.4% growth.
Youth unemployment is the real kicker: 18.5% for 15-293-year-olds, hitting 22% in urban areas. As someone who’s covered tech hiring in past posts, this worries me—entry-level gigs in IT and manufacturing could evaporate if tariffs bite harder.

Sectoral Vulnerabilities at a Glance

Here’s a quick table from PLFS insights:

Varies; informal sector buffer