- India's unemployment rate stayed at 5.2% in October, according to official data
- Rural unemployment rate fell slightly from 4.6% in September to 4.4% in October
- Urban unemployment rate increased moderately from 6.8% to 7%
India's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.2% in October, the data released by the Ministry of Statistics showed on Monday.
A marginal decline in the rural Unemployment Rate (UR), from 4.6% in September to 4.4% in October, 2025, coupled with a moderate rise in urban UR from 6.8% to 7.0%, resulted in overall stability in the unemployment rate among persons aged 15 years and above, the Ministry said.
The increasing trend in Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons of age 15 years and above was observed. The LFPR is the percentage of a country's working-age population that is either employed or actively looking for work.
Overall LFPR reached the six-month high level of 55.4% in October, the Ministry said. The LFPR in rural areas has also increased steadily from 56.1% observed in June to 57.8% in October.
Moreover, the participation of female in labour force observed consistent increase for the past four months for persons aged 15 years and above. The overall LFPR reached 34.2% in October marking the highest since May driven by the increase in female LFPR in rural areas.
The UR among female declined to 5.4% in October from 5.5% in September. The drop in UR among rural female mainly contributed towards decline in overall female UR.
The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in October stood at 52.5% which is consistently rising since June among persons of age 15 years and above.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey is conducted by the National Statistics Office under MoSPI and is the primary source of data on activity participation and employment unemployment condition of the population.
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