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India's Labour Force Stable in 2025, Urban Female Unemployment Declines

India's labour force participation rate remained stable at 59.3% in 2025, showing broad consistency with the previous year. A positive development was the decline in the unemployment rate among urban females to 6.4% from 6.7% in 2024. The data also revealed an increase in the proportion of workers in regular wage or salaried employment. The findings highlight persistent gender gaps in work hours and reasons for not participating in the labour force.

Key Points: 2025 Labour Data: Stable Participation, Urban Female Jobless Rate Dips

  • Overall LFPR stable at 59.3%
  • Urban female unemployment falls to 6.4%
  • Rural male LFPR strong at 80.5%
  • Regular wage employment rises to 23.6%
2 min read

Labour force participation stable in 2025, unemployment among urban female declines: Govt

Govt data shows stable labour force participation at 59.3% in 2025, with urban female unemployment declining to 6.4%. Key insights on workforce trends.

"Urban self-employed males worked about 17.5 hours more per week than their female counterpart - Ministry of Statistics data"

New Delhi, March 27

The Labour Force Participation Rate in persons of age 15 years and above was observed as 59.3 per cent during 2025 and remained stable compared to 2024, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Friday.

The LFPR for males and females stood at 79.1 per cent and 40.0 per cent, respectively, in 2025.

According to the data, the worker population ratio (WPR) was estimated as 57.4 per cent during 2025, remaining almost at the same level as in 2024. Last month, the WPR for males and females was 76.6 per cent and 38.8 per cent, respectively.

Unemployment rate among urban females witnessed a decline to 6.4 per cent in 2025 from 6.7 per cent in 2024.

Meanwhile, the proportion of workers in regular wage/salaried employment increased to 23.6 per cent in 2025 compared to 22.4 per cent in 2024.

The rural male labour force participation remained strong at 80.5 per cent while rural female participation held steady at 45.9 per cent, sustaining the gains achieved in previous years.

The female unemployment rate remained low at 2.1 per cent, lower than the male UR in rural areas, which stood at 2.6 per cent. The male and female unemployment eased to 4.2 per cent and 6.4 per cent, respectively, in urban areas.

Both male and female labour force participation rates in 2025 remained broadly consistent with the levels observed in 2024 in urban areas, the data showed.

Meanwhile, the WPR showed a broad stability in 2025 compared with 2024.

In 2025, WPR for rural males remained robust at 78.4 per cent, while WPR for rural females held steady at 44.9 per cent, sustaining the significant gains made since 2022. The overall urban WPR remained nearly at 50.0 per cent.

"Among males, 69.8 per cent reported wanting to continue studies as the main reason for not being in the labour force, whereas among females, 44.4 per cent cited child care/personal commitments in homemaking as the main reason," the findings showed.

Among males aged 15 years and above, about 82.7 per cent of those with a diploma/certificate, 79.1 per cent of those with a graduation and 83.1 per cent of those with post-graduation and above as their highest level of education were in the workforce.

"Urban self-employed males worked about 17.5 hours more per week than their female counterpart, while in rural areas the difference was around 12.3 hours per week. In regular wage/salaried employment and casual labour, males worked approximately 7.9 hours and 6.9 hours more per week, respectively, than females," the data showed.

- IANS

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Reader Comments

R
Rohit P
Stable numbers are good, but "stable" shouldn't be the goal. We need growth! The increase in regular wage employment to 23.6% is a positive sign. More formal jobs mean more security for families. Hope this trend continues.
A
Anjali F
The data about 44.4% of women citing childcare/personal commitments as the main reason for not working hits home. Unless we have better, affordable childcare support and a shift in household responsibilities, this gap won't close. It's a societal issue, not just an economic one.
D
David E
Interesting to see rural female participation holding steady at nearly 46%. Often the narrative is only about urban jobs. Sustaining gains in rural areas is crucial for overall economic health. The MGNREGA scheme might be playing a role here.
K
Karthik V
The stats on working hours are revealing. Men working 17.5 hours more per week in urban self-employment? That's a massive difference. It points to deeper issues of access to capital, networks, and perhaps societal expectations for women entrepreneurs. We need targeted schemes.
S
Sarah B
While the decline in urban female unemployment is a step in the right direction, we must look at the quality of jobs. Are these secure, well-paying positions or precarious gig work? The data on regular wage employment increasing is the metric to watch closely.

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