India’s labour market continued to show positive momentum in August 2025, with the overall unemployment rate (persons aged 15 years and above) declining to 5.1%, down from 5.2% in July and 5.6% in June, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) bulletin released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The survey, which follows the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach, highlighted encouraging trends for both male and female workers. The male unemployment rate stood at 5% in August — the lowest in the past five months. The Female Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also rose steadily to 32% in August, compared to 31.6% in July and 30.2% in June.
Overall, the Worker Population Ratio increased to 52.2% in August from 52% in July, while the Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) inched up to 33.7% in August from 33.3% in July.
Officials noted that these improvements reflect the labour market’s resilience amid ongoing macroeconomic challenges. The August bulletin marks the fifth monthly release since the PLFS methodology was revised in January 2025 to provide monthly and quarterly estimates.
