Unemployment rate steady at 5.2% in Oct
FILE PHOTO: Job seekers fill up forms as others line up for registration during a job fair in Chinchwad, India, February 7, 2019. REUTERS/Danish Siddiqui/File Photo
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DANISH SIDDIQUI
The unemployment rate (UR) in India remained at 5.2 per cent in October, a government survey results on Monday said,
UR is defined as the percentage of individuals unemployed among persons in the labour force. It was 5.2 per cent in September, 5.1 per cent in August, 5.2 per cent in July and 5.6 per cent in May and June, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). At the all-India level, monthly estimates are based on information collected from a sample size of over 3.74 lakh.
According to a statement by the Ministry, a marginal decline in the rural unemployment rate, from 4.6 per cent in September to 4.4 per cent in October, coupled with a moderate rise in urban UR from 6.8 per cent to 7 per cent, resulted in overall stability in the pace of joblessness among persons aged 15 years and above.
It stated that UR among females aged 15 years and above declined to 5.4 per cent in October from 5.5 per cent observed during September. The drop in UR among rural female, from 4.3 per cent in September 2025 to 4 per cent in October, mainly contributed towards the decline in overall female joblessness rate.
Among males, the rate of unemployment remained stable at 5.1 per cent in October as compared to previous month. A minor decrease in rural male UR, from 4.7 per cent in September to 4.6 per cent in October, was offset by a slight uptick in urban male UR from 6 per cent to 6.1 per cent during the same period, which contributed to overall stability.
Overall rate
The overall LFPR (labour force participation rate) among persons of age 15 years and above continued to increase for the four successive months to 55.4 per cent in October from 54.2 per cent recorded in June. LFPR in rural areas also increased steadily from 56.1 per cent observed in June to 57.8 per cent in October. LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in October was 52.5 per cent, which is consistently rising since June 2025, it stated. WPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population.
Rise in the female workforce in rural areas has brought about this increase. Overall WPR among females of 15 years and older increased steadily for the fourth month in a row, rising from 30.2 per cent in June to 32.4 per cent in October, it stated. The female workforce in rural areas has increased consistently for four months, reaching 36.9 per cent in October from 33.6
Published on November 17, 2025
