In May 2025, the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the inaugural Monthly Bulletin of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for April 2025. As per the data, the Unemployment Rate(UR) at the national level for individuals aged 15 years and above was recorded at 5.1% in April 2025.
- The release signifies a major shift in employment monitoring, transitioning from previously published quarterly and annual data to a more frequent monthly reporting format.
- The data is based on the Current Weekly Status (CWS) methodology, which considers the previous seven days as the reference period for measuring employment indicators.
Revamped PLFS Methodology:
To enhance the frequency and coverage of labour force data, MoSPI has revamped the PLFS methodology effective January 2025. Key changes include:
i.Monthly Estimates: Introduction of monthly estimates for Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and UR at the all-India level, covering both rural and urban areas using the CWS approach
ii.Quarterly Rural Data: Extension of quarterly employment estimates to include rural areas, providing a more comprehensive view of the labour market.
iii.Calendar Year Reporting: Transition to calendar year-based annual reporting (January–December), aligning with international standards and facilitating timely policy interventions.
Sample Size:
i.At the all-India level, a total number of 7,511 First Stage units (FSUs) (4,140 rural area sub-units and 3,371 urban sub-units) have been surveyed during April, 2025.
ii.The number of households surveyed was 89,434 (49,323 in rural areas and 40,111 in urban areas) and number of persons surveyed was 3,80,838 (2,17,483 in rural areas and 1,63,355 in urban areas).
Key Findings of PLFS for April 2025.:
i.Unemployment Rate (UR) in CWS:
- UR for persons of age 15 years and above in rural areas was 4.5% and in urban areas was 6.5%.
- Among the rural male of age 15 years and above, the UR was 4.9% compared to 3.9% observed for rural female.
- In urban areas, among female of age 15 years and above during April, 2025, UR was 8.7% compared to 5.8% observed for male.
Note: An individual was classified as unemployed during a reference week if they did not engage in any work for even one hour on any day, but were actively seeking or available for work for at least one hour on any day within that same week.
UR (in %) in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above during April 2025
| Sector | Age Group | Male | Female | Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural | 15-29 Years | 13.0 | 10.7 | 12.3 |
| 15 Years And Above | 4.9 | 3.9 | 4.5 | |
| All Ages | 4.9 | 3.8 | 4.5 | |
| Urban | 15-29 Years | 15.0 | 23.7 | 17.2 |
| 15 Years And Above | 5.8 | 8.7 | 6.5 | |
| All Ages | 5.8 | 8.7 | 6.5 | |
| Rural + Urban | 15-29 Years | 13.6 | 14.4 | 13.8 |
| 15 Years And Above | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.1 | |
| All Ages | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.1 |
ii.LFPR in CWS:
- The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Current Weekly Status (CWS) among persons of age 15 years and above was 55.6% during April,2025.
- LFPR in rural areas was 58.0% and LFPR in urban areas was 50.7% for April, 2025 for persons of the same age group.
- Among the rural male of age group of 15 years and above was 79.0% during April, 2025 and 38.2% for rural female.
- Among the urban female of age 15 years and above was 25.7% compared to 75.3% observed for urban male of the same age group.
- At the national level, the percentage for females in the same age group was observed to be 34.2%, while for males it was 77.7%.
LFPR (in per %) in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above during April 2025 :
| Sector | Age Group | Male | Female | Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural | 15-29 Years | 63.5 | 23.8 | 43.4 |
| 15 Years And Above | 79.0 | 38.2 | 58.0 | |
| All Ages | 57.5 | 28.8 | 42.9 | |
| Urban | 15-29 Years | 59.1 | 21.5 | 41.2 |
| 15 Years And Above | 75.3 | 25.7 | 50.7 | |
| All Ages | 58.5 | 20.5 | 39.9 | |
| Rural + Urban | 15-29 Years | 62.0 | 23.1 | 42.7 |
| 15 Years And Above | 77.7 | 34.2 | 55.6 | |
| All Ages | 57.8 | 26.2 | 42.0 |
iii.WPR in CWS:
- WPR in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above at the national level stood at 52.8% in April 2025.
- WPR in rural areas among persons of age 15 years and above was 55.4%. WPR in urban areas among persons of the same age group was 47.4%
- WPR for female of the same age group at the country level was observed at 32.5% and similarly for male it was 73.7%
WPR (in %) in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above during April 2025:
| Sector | Age Group | Male | Female | Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rural | 15-29 Years | 55.3 | 21.2 | 38.0 |
| 15 Years And Above | 75.1 | 36.8 | 55.4 | |
| All Ages | 54.7 | 27.7 | 41.0 | |
| Urban | 15-29 Years | 50.2 | 16.4 | 34.1 |
| 15 Years And Above | 71.0 | 23.5 | 47.4 | |
| All Ages | 55.1 | 18.7 | 37.3 | |
| Rural + Urban | 15-29 Years | 53.6 | 19.8 | 36.8 |
| 15 Years And Above | 73.7 | 32.5 | 52.8 | |
| All Ages | 54.8 | 24.9 | 39.8 |
Key Terms:
i.LFPR: It is defined as the percentage of persons in the labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
ii.WPR: It is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population.
iii.UR: It is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force.
iii.CWS: The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status (CWS) of the person.
About the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS):
The NSO launched the PLFS in April 2017 to provide labour force data at more frequent intervals. Its objectives include:
- Estimating key employment and unemployment indicators, such as LFPR, WPR and UR in urban and rural areas.
About the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI):
Minister of State (MoS) (Independent Charge, IC) – Rao Inderjit Singh (Constituency: Gurgaon, Haryana)
