Unemployment Rate Sees An Uptick To 5.6% In May

Unemployment rate saw an uptick in May, while labour force participation rates saw a modest decline.

Unemployment Rate rose to 5.6% in May, compared to 5.1% in April, according to a monthly press release by the Ministry of Statistics. Male unemployment rate rose to 5.6% in May from 5.2% in April at the country level. The female unemployment rate was a touch higher, rising to 5.8% compared to 5% in the same period.

In urban areas, unemployment was higher at 6.9% for May, while rural areas saw unemployment climb to 5.1%.

Labour force participation among persons of age 15 years and above was 54.8% during May 2025 as compared to 55.6% during April 2025. LFPR in rural areas was 56.9% and LFPR in urban areas was 50.4% during May, 2025 for persons of the same age group. In rural and urban areas, labour force participation rates were respectively 78.3% and 75.1% during May, 2025 which marked a marginal decline from the corresponding LFPR estimates of 79.0% and 75.3% respectively for rural and urban areas during April, 2025.

The decline in LFPR and WPR and the rise in UR were driven largely by seasonal agricultural patterns, higher summer temperature experienced in May in some parts of the country due to which physical outdoor work gets limited and movement of some unpaid helpers to domestic chores, especially in the higher income rural households, the release explained.