India’s unemployment rate held steady at 5.2 per cent in October, as a dip in rural joblessness offset a slight uptick in cities, according to official data released on Monday. Rural unemployment eased to 4.4 per cent, down from 4.6 per cent in September 2025, while the urban rate inched up to 7 per cent from 6.8 per cent.
Female unemployment also edged lower to 5.4 per cent, helped by an improvement in rural labour conditions for women, where the jobless rate fell from 4.3 per cent to 4 per cent.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the NSO under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation showed that male unemployment stayed unchanged at 5.1 per cent. A minor drop in rural male unemployment from 4.7 per cent to 4.6 per cent, which was balanced out by a marginal rise in urban male joblessness to 6.1 per cent.
Labour Force Participation Rising
India’s Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) climbed to a six-month high of 55.4 per cent in October, extending a four-month uptrend. Rural LFPR continued to strengthen, increasing from 56.1 per cent in June to 57.8 per cent in October.
Female LFPR touched 34.2 per cent, its highest level since May 2025, boosted by higher participation among women in rural areas.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which is the share of employed people in the total population, improved marginally from 52.4 per cent to 52.5 per cent in October. The gain was largely driven by more women entering the rural workforce. Female WPR has now risen for four consecutive months, moving up from 30.2 per cent in June to 32.4 per cent in October. |
