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The unemployment rate for those aged 15 and above increased marginally to 5.2 per cent in September, according to a government survey released on Wednesday.
Illustration: Uttam Ghosh
The unemployment rate (UR) was 5.1 per cent in August, 5.2 per cent in July and 5.6 per cent in May and June, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The UR was 5.1 per cent in April as per the first PLFS bulletin released in May 2025.
“The UR among persons of age 15 years and above increased marginally to 5.2 per cent in September 2025 from 5.1 per cent recorded in August 2025 after declining during the past two successive months,” an official statement said.
The latest data collected in the current weekly status (CWS) showed that the unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 5.2 per cent in September.
The rise in UR in rural areas (from 4.3 per cent in August 2025 to 4.6 per cent in September 2025) and a marginal increase in UR in urban areas (from 6.7 per cent in August 2025 to 6.8 per cent in September 2025) among persons aged 15 years and above contributed to this increase in overall UR, according to the survey.
The UR among urban females aged 15 years and above increased to 9.3 per cent in September 2025 from 8.9 per cent observed during August 2025.
This increase in UR among rural females has also contributed to the rise in overall female UR from 5.2 per cent in August 2025 to 5.5 per cent recorded in September, it stated.
Male UR has also seen a moderate rise across rural (from 4.5 per cent in August 2025 to 4.7 per cent in September 2025) and urban areas (from 5.9 per cent in August 2025 to 6 per cent in September 2025) in September after declining during August, it added.
The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in September was 52.4 per cent, the highest level recorded since May 2025.
The rise in the female workforce, especially in rural areas, has brought about this increase.
Overall WPR among females aged 15 years and above has steadily increased for the third month in a row from 30.2 per cent in June to 32.3 per cent in September.
The female workforce in rural areas has increased in the last three successive months from 33.6 per cent in June to 36.3 per cent in September.
The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among persons of age 15 years and above continued to increase for the third month in a row, as it climbed from 54.2 per cent in June to 55.3 per cent in September.
The LFPR in rural areas has also increased steadily from 56.1 per cent observed in June to 57.4 per cent in September.
It has remained unchanged at 50.9 per cent in urban areas compared to August for persons aged 15 years and above.
The overall LFPR among females aged 15 years and above in September was 34.1 per cent, and it was the highest level observed since May 2025.
This was contributed by the increase in female LFPR in rural areas, which improved for the third successive month from 35.2 per cent in June to 37.9 per cent in September, the survey showed.
Overall, female LFPR has increased for three straight months from 32 per cent in June to 34.1 per cent in September, it added.
At the all-India level, the monthly estimates are based on information collected from a total number of 3,75,703 persons surveyed.
CWS refers to the activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of the last seven days preceding the date of the survey.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) defines the proportion of those who are employed among the total population.
Considering the need for high-frequency labour force indicators with enhanced coverage, the sampling methodology of PLFS has been revamped since January.
The monthly bulletins for April to August have already been released.
The present monthly bulletin for September is the sixth in the series.
