India's unemployment rate fell to 5.2% in July 2025, down from 5.6% in June, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday.
The survey also showed an improvement in the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR). In the Current Weekly Status (CWS), the LFPR for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 54.9% in July, up from 54.2% in June. Rural areas recorded a higher LFPR of 56.9%, while urban areas stood at 50.7%.
Breaking it down by gender, the LFPR among rural males was 78.1%, compared to 75.1% for urban males. Among rural females, participation increased to 36.9%, up from 35.2% in June.
The Workforce Participation Rate (WPR) also saw gains. In rural areas, WPR in CWS rose to 54.4%, from 53.3% in June, while urban WPR edged up slightly to 47.0%. For women, WPR was 35.5% in rural areas and 23.5% in urban areas, with the national female WPR standing at 31.6% in July.