The unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above in the usual status was 3.1% in 2025, down from 3.2% in 2024 and 3.6% in 2022, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025 released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on Friday.
However, the unemployment rate using the current weekly status approach increased to 8.9% in 2025 from 8.2% in 2024. MoSPI said the CWS approach determines an individual’s activity status based on the seven days preceding the survey date. Under this method, a person is considered unemployed in a week if they did not work even for one hour on any day during the reference week but sought or were available for work for at least one hour on any day during the same period. However, under the usual status approach, the activity status is determined based on the reference period of the last 365 days preceding the date of survey.
According to the PLFS report, the unemployment rate among educated persons (secondary and above) in the age group of 15 years and above in the usual status declined to 6.5% in 2025 from 7.0% in 2024. Similarly, the unemployment rate for urban females eased to 6.4% from 6.7% over the same period, reflecting gradual progress in female workforce integration in cities.
The youth unemployment (15-29 years) also improved, falling to 9.9% in 2025 from 10.3% in 2024. Rural youth saw a decline from 8.7% to 8.3%, while urban youth unemployment dropped more noticeably from 14.3% to 13.6%.
“On average, 61.6 crore persons (aged 15 years and above) were employed, in usual status, in the country during January–December 2025, of which 41.6 crore were male and 20.0 crore were female,” the MoSPI said.
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above remained stable at 59.3% in 2025, with males at 79.1% and females at 40.0%. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) stood at 57.4%, almost unchanged from 2024, indicating sustained employment levels. Rural areas continued to show strength, with rural male LFPR at 80.5% and rural female at 45.9%, while urban WPR hovered near 50%.
The data also showed that in regular wage/salaried employment, average earnings for males increased from Rs 22,891 in 2024 to Rs 24,217 in 2025 (about 5.8% growth), while for females, earnings rose from Rs 17,126 to Rs 18,353 (about 7.2% growth).
According to the survey, the share of self-employed persons declined from 57.5% in 2024 to 56.2% in 2025.
The economy showed signs of structural transformation, with the share of workers in agriculture declining from 44.8% in 2024 to 43.0% in 2025, while manufacturing edged up from 11.6% to 12.1% and other services rose from 12.2% to 13.1%. Construction saw a marginal dip from 12.3% to 12.0%.