NEW DELHI: The country’s jobless rate rose to 5.6 per cent in May from 5.1 per cent in April 2025, largely due to seasonal fluctuations, according to government data released on Monday.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation recently began releasing monthly estimates under the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) in an effort to provide more frequent insights into labour market conditions.
The latest data, based on the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach, showed that the overall unemployment rate for persons of all ages climbed to 5.6 per cent in May from 5.1 per cent in April.
Female jobless rate was marginally higher at 5.8 per cent compared with 5.6 per cent for males. Among youth aged 15 to 29 years, jobless rate increased to 15 per cent in May from 13.8 per cent in April.
In urban areas, the unemployment rate rose to 17.9 per cent in May from 17.2 per cent in April. Rural joblessness also saw an uptick, rising to 13.7 per cent from 12.3 per cent in the previous month.
The shift in rural employment was attributed to a decline in agricultural activities following the Rabi harvest season. Employment in the primary sector fell from 45.9 per cent in April to 43.5 per cent in May, while the share of workers in secondary and services sectors increased.
In urban areas, the changes were marginal, with slight declines in own-account workers and casual labourers contributing to the reduction in workforce numbers.
Youth female unemployment (15–29 years) also rose sharply, from 14.4 per cent in April to 16.3 per cent in May. In cities, it went up to 24.7 per cent from 23.7 per cent; in villages, it rose to 13 per cent from 10.7 per cent. Joblessness among young men increased to 14.5 per cent in May from 13.6 per cent in April.
LFPR above 15
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among persons aged 15 and above declined to 54.8 per cent in May from 55.6 per cent in April. In rural areas, LFPR dropped to 56.9 per cent from 58 per cent, while in urban areas, it slipped to 50.4 per cent from 50.7 per cent.
Among males aged 15 years and above, LFPR fell to 78.3 per cent in May from 79 per cent in April. A notable decline was seen in rural female LFPR, which dropped by more than one percentage point—mainly due to fewer women working as casual labourers or unpaid helpers.
The ministry noted that these declines were influenced by seasonal agricultural cycles, high summer temperatures that restricted outdoor work, and a shift of some unpaid rural female helpers back to domestic responsibilities, especially in higher-income households.
In urban areas, male LFPR slightly dipped to 75.1 per cent in May from 75.3 per cent in April. Among urban women, it slipped to 25.3 per cent from 25.7 per cent.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures the proportion of employed persons in the total population, also saw a fall. WPR in rural areas among those aged 15 and above dropped to 54.1 per cent in May from 55.4 per cent in April, while in urban areas, it declined to 46.9 per cent from 47.4 per cent.
The overall WPR at the national level declined to 51.7 per cent in May from 52.8 per cent in April.
Among rural women, WPR fell to 35.2 per cent in May from 36.8 per cent in April, while in urban areas it declined to 23 per cent from 23.5 per cent. The overall female WPR for those aged 15 and above also declined to 31.3 per cent in May from 32.5 per cent in April.
To improve real-time tracking, the PLFS sampling framework was revamped in January 2025. In May, the survey covered 7,511 primary sampling units, with data collected from 89,372 households and 3,79,600 individuals across rural and urban areas.
While monthly PLFS data offers more frequent insights, the ministry clarified that changes in the labour indicators from month to month are often seasonal and do not necessarily indicate long-term structural trends.
