Female Participation Drives Labour Market Gains
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above increased to 55.8 percent during the October–December 2025 quarter, up from 55.1 percent in the previous quarter. A key driver of this rise was the notable improvement in female participation.
Female LFPR rose to 34.9 percent during the quarter, compared to 33.7 percent in July–September 2025. The increase was primarily led by rural areas, where female participation climbed sharply from 37.5 percent to 39.4 percent. Urban female LFPR, however, remained largely stable.
Worker Population Ratio Shows Consistent Growth
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), an indicator of employment strength, also improved during the quarter. For persons aged 15 years and above, WPR rose to 53.1 percent from 52.2 percent in the previous quarter.
The growth was largely supported by rural employment gains, with women continuing to show higher engagement in the workforce. The sustained rise in female WPR reflects a gradual structural shift in labour market participation.
Unemployment Declines Across Rural and Urban India
The Unemployment Rate (UR) declined in both rural and urban sectors during October–December 2025. In rural areas, unemployment among persons aged 15 years and above fell to 4.0 percent from 4.4 percent in the previous quarter.
Urban unemployment also eased to 6.7 percent, down from 6.9 percent, driven mainly by a reduction in unemployment among urban males. The data indicates steady absorption of labour across regions.
Self-Employment and Sectoral Trends
Self-employment continued to grow modestly during the quarter. In rural areas, the share of self-employed workers increased to 63.2 percent, compared to 62.8 percent earlier. Urban self-employment also rose marginally to 39.7 percent.
The agriculture sector remained the backbone of rural employment, engaging 58.5 percent of workers, while urban employment continued to be dominated by the tertiary sector, accounting for nearly 62 percent of the workforce.
Absolute Employment Numbers Increase
Using population projections from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the survey estimated that the total number of employed persons aged 15 years and above increased from 56.2 crore in July–September 2025 to 57.4 crore during October–December 2025.
This included 40.2 crore males and 17.2 crore females, highlighting a meaningful rise in women’s employment during the period.
The findings are based on data collected from over 5.61 lakh individuals across rural and urban India.
