Often facing flak for the low participation of women in the labour force despite decent economic growth, the government has set a target to increase the female labour force participation rate (F-LFPR) to 35% by 2030. As of September this year, the rate, across the country, was 26.2% for women of all ages, measured in the current weekly status (CWS) mode.
LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in the labour force, either working, seeking or available for work, in the population. In the CWS, the activity status is determined based on the seven days prior to the survey date.
In the draft National Labour & Employment Policy Shram Shakti Niti 2025 released recently, the government has proposed enhancing the F-LFPR through measures such as safer workplaces, affordable childcare, flexible and remote work arrangements, and equal pay for equal work.
The government has sought stakeholders’ comments by October 27 before finalising the policy, which aims to create an inclusive, equitable and resilient world of work where every worker enjoys dignity, protection and opportunity, and where the country’s economic growth remains people-centric and planet-sensitive.
F-LFPR, in CWS for all ages, was 27.1% in 2023-24, up from 15.8% in 2017-18, according to the annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). PLFS, launched in 2017, used to publish quarterly statistics for urban areas only, following CWS, and, on an annual basis, for both urban and rural areas in the usual status as well as the CWS, until it was revamped in January 2025.
Considering the need to generate high-frequency labour force indicators at a more disaggregated level, it now estimates key employment and unemployment indicators monthly for both rural and urban areas at the all-India level using the CWS method.
Quarterly reports following CWS and annual reports in both usual status and CWS will follow. India’s overall F-LFPR has been persistently lower than that of many other countries. According to the International Labour Organisation (ILO), India ranked 68th.
Out of 83 countries under this yardstick in 1994. It went down further to 84th out of 87 countries in 2012. According to World Bank data, India ranked 155th among 176 countries in F-LFPR in 2024.
There are scores of reasons for lower FLFPR in India, where an increase in household income often leads to a decline in women’s participation in the labour force. Women’s increased attendance in educational institutions and fewer employment opportunities are also responsible for fewer women in the job market. The social norm that tends to assign primary responsibility for securing household income to men and for domestic care to women is a significant drawback.
The draft policy envisions a future where every worker – irrespective of sector or status – has access to dignity, security, and opportunity, reaffirming India’s constitutional and civilisational commitment to the value of work as the foundation of inclusive national growth.