Urban unemployment rate slipped marginally to 6.6% in the January-March quarter, as compared to 6.7% in the preceding three-month period, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation on Monday
Regular wage, or salaried employment, in rural areas witnessed an increase during the quarter, rising to 15.5% from 14.8%. "Share of rural employment for persons (15+ years) in both secondary and tertiary sectors recorded an increase in January-March, 2026," the government stated in an official release.
It further stated that the secondary and tertiary sector employment recorded an increase in rural areas. Rural regular wage/salaried employees witnessed a rise.
As per the government release, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate for persons (15+ years) reported as 55.5% in January-March 2026 compared to 55.8% in the previous quarter.
According to MoSPI's press release, Female LFPR(15+ years) remained broadly unchanged at 34.7% in comparison to the previous quarter, and Urban Worker Population Ratio (WPR)(15+ years) maintains stability at 46.9% in January-March, 2026.
Regular wage/salaried employees for persons (15+ years) in rural areas witnessed a modest rise during January-March, 2026, to 15.5% from 14.8% in the previous quarter, the report further stated.
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Share of rural employment for persons (15+ years) in both secondary and tertiary sectors recorded an increase in January-March 2026, as per the data released by the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation.
Urban UR for persons (15+ years) showed a declining trend, as per the government statistics according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by NSO, MoSPI, which is the primary source of data on activity participation and employment-unemployment conditions of the population.
The PLFS survey methodology has been modified from January, 2025 to provide monthly and quarterly estimates of labour force indicators for both rural and urban India under the CWS framework.
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