The decline was led by a fall in male unemployment, which dropped to 5% in August — the lowest in five months — driven by an improvement in urban areas where male unemployment slid to 5.9% from 6.6% in July. Rural male unemployment also eased to 4.5%, marking a consistent decline over the past four months. Overall, rural unemployment has now fallen for three months in a row to 4.3% in August from 5.1% in May.
Female participation indicators also showed improvement. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for females rose for a second straight month to 32% in August from 30.2% in June, contributing to an increase in the overall WPR to 52.2%. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for women climbed to 33.7% in August, led by higher rural participation at 37.4% and urban participation at 26.1%. The overall LFPR for those aged 15 and above rose to 55%.
The monthly estimates are based on data from 3,76,839 individuals surveyed under the revamped PLFS methodology introduced in January 2025. The survey uses the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach, which considers activity over the seven days preceding the survey date.
First Published: Sept 15, 2025 5:40 PM IST
