The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation on Monday reported steady improvement in India’s labour market, with the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey indicating a rise in both workforce participation and employment indicators.
In October 2025, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above climbed to 55.4 percent — the highest level observed in the past six months. The increase spans both rural and urban areas, with rural LFPR rising from 56.1 percent in June to 57.8 percent in October.
A key driver of this rise is the steady improvement in female labour force participation. The LFPR among women aged 15 years and above reached 34.2 percent in October, up from 32.0 percent in June 2025. Contributing further, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) — which measures the proportion of persons actually working — for all persons aged 15+ reached 52.5 percent in October and has been on an upward trajectory since June.
Women’s WPR has shown consistent growth too: from 30.2 percent in June to 32.4 percent in October. In rural India, the female WPR rose from 33.6 percent in June to 36.9 percent in October.
On the unemployment front, the Unemployment Rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above remained steady at 5.2 percent in October, unchanged from September. A marginal drop in rural unemployment (4.6 percent to 4.4 percent) was offset by a slight increase in urban unemployment (6.8 percent to 7.0 percent). For females, the UR declined to 5.4 percent in October from 5.5 percent in September; the decrease was driven largely by rural female unemployment falling from 4.3 percent to 4.0 percent.
The survey covered 3,74,164 persons nationally, including 2,14,254 from rural areas and 1,59,910 from urban areas.
The findings suggest that India’s labour market is showing resilience: more people are entering the workforce, particularly women, even as unemployment remains broadly stable. The gradual rise in women’s participation may reflect both growing opportunities and policy focus on inclusive employment.
