PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin July – September, 2025

IN NEWS

Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin (July–September 2025), released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), shows a continued improvement in labour market indicators—notably a rise in female labour force participation, a decline in unemployment rates, and modest gains in urban salaried employment.

ANALYSIS

• Overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR):
  • LFPR among persons aged 15 years and above rose slightly to 55.1% during July–September 2025 from 55.0% in April–June 2025.
  • Both rural (57.1% → 57.2%) and urban (50.6% → 50.7%) areas recorded marginal improvements, reflecting steady participation in the labour market.
• Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR):
  • Female LFPR increased to 33.7% in July–September 2025 from 33.4% in the previous quarter.
  • The improvement was largely driven by rural areas where female LFPR moved up from 37.0% to 37.5%.
  • The data suggests a sustained upward momentum in women’s economic participation.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR):
  • The overall WPR for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 52.2% in July–September 2025 from 52.0% in April–June 2025.
  • The rise was driven by higher female participation, particularly in rural areas.
  • Female WPR increased from 31.6% to 32.0% over the same period, indicating gradual workforce integration.
• Unemployment Rate (UR):
  • The overall UR declined to 5.2% during July–September 2025 from 5.4% in the previous quarter.
  • Rural UR dropped from 4.8% to 4.4%, reflecting improved rural employment opportunities.
  • Urban UR showed a slight rise—6.1% to 6.2% for males and 8.9% to 9.0% for females—indicating uneven recovery trends.
• Employment Composition:
  • Rural Sector: Share of self-employed workers increased from 60.7% to 62.8%, showing growing rural entrepreneurship and informal activity.
  • Urban Sector: Regular wage/salaried employment improved modestly from 49.4% to 49.8%, suggesting stable job creation in organized sectors.
• Sectoral Distribution:
  • Rural Areas: Share of employment in agriculture increased from 53.5% to 57.7%, mainly due to Kharif operations during the monsoon period.
  • Urban Areas: Share of workers in the tertiary sector rose slightly from 61.7% to 62.0%, showing continued dominance of services in urban employment.
• Overall Workforce Estimate:
  • Total employed persons aged 15 years and above: 56.2 crore
    • Male: 39.6 crore
    • Female: 16.6 crore

STATIC PART

• Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS):
  • Conducted by National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI.
  • Introduced in April 2017, it replaced the earlier Employment-Unemployment Survey of the NSSO.
  • Provides data on employment, unemployment, and labour force participationbased on two measures:
    1. Usual Status (ps+ss) – considering a longer reference period.
    2. Current Weekly Status (CWS) – based on activity during the 7 days preceding the survey.
• Revised Methodology (Effective January 2025):
  • Enables monthly and quarterly estimates of labour market indicators for both rural and urban areas under the CWS framework.
  • Earlier PLFS Quarterly Bulletins (till December 2024) covered only urban areas; post-April–June 2025, data includes rural estimates as well.
• Key Indicators:
  • LFPR: Proportion of working-age population in the labour force.
  • WPR: Ratio of employed persons to total population.
  • UR: Percentage of unemployed persons in the labour force.
• Policy Significance:
  • Helps assess job creation trends, female participation, and sectoral employment shifts.
  • Supports evidence-based policy formulation for employment generation, skill development, and gender inclusion in the labour market.

Updated – 10 Nov 2025 ; 4:30 PM | PIB