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The pace of joblessness among men stays slightly higher at 5.2 per cent compared to that of women at 5 per cent, show the latest govt data.
The government moves to provide real-time insights into joblessness through monthly updates.
India’s unemployment rate stood at 5.1 per cent in April 2025, according to the first-ever monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation on May 15. This marks a shift in the way employment data is tracked, as the government moves to provide real-time insights into joblessness through monthly updates. Until now, such surveys were conducted on a quarterly or annual basis.
The figures are based on the Current Weekly Status (CWS), which assesses employment based on activity during the seven days preceding the survey date.
Key Highlights from April 2025 PLFS:
- Overall unemployment rate: 5.1%
- Male unemployment rate: 5.2%
- Female unemployment rate: 5.0%
- Unemployment rate for age group 15-29: 13.8%
- Men: 13.6% (Urban: 15%, Rural: 13%)
- Women: 14.4% (Urban: 23.7%, Rural: 10.7%)
- Urban unemployment rate (15-29 age group): 17.2%
- Rural unemployment rate (15-29 age group): 12.3%
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), which represents the percentage of people working or seeking work, stood at 55.6% among individuals aged 15 and above. In rural areas, LFPR was higher at 58.0%, compared to 50.7% in urban parts.
Among males aged 15 and above, LFPR was 79.0% in rural areas and 75.3% in urban areas. For women, the participation rate in rural areas was 38.2%.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) — the share of employed persons in the population — was 55.4% in rural areas and 47.4% in urban areas, with an overall national average of 52.8%.
Among females aged 15 and above, WPR was 36.8% in rural areas, 23.5% in urban areas, and 32.5% at the national level.
The government has revamped the PLFS sampling methodology starting January 2025 to ensure more frequent and comprehensive data. During April alone, 7,511 first-stage sampling units were covered, with surveys conducted across 89,434 households (49,323 rural and 40,111 urban). The total number of individuals surveyed stood at 3,80,838 — including 2,17,483 in rural areas and 1,63,355 in urban areas.
This new monthly survey is seen as a major step toward capturing high-frequency labour market trends for better policy decisions.
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