India's unemployment rate in June stands at 5.5%
What's the story
India's unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.5% in June, according to the latest data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), shows a slight increase in female unemployment to 5.9%, while male joblessness fell to 5.3%. Rural unemployment also decreased slightly from 5.1% in May to 5% in June, but urban rates rose from 6.4% to 6.6%.
Youth statistics
Youth unemployment rises to 16.2%
Youth unemployment (ages 15-29) increased to 16.2% in June, up from 15.9% in May.
The rise was mainly due to a sharp increase in joblessness among young women, whose unemployment rate rose to 20.7%.
Despite these challenges, the overall Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) remained stable at 54.4%. This was slightly higher than last year's figure of 54.2%.
Regional data
Urban LFPR increases to 50.1%
The urban LFPR increased to 50.1% in June from 49.8% in May, indicating a slight improvement in city labor market activity.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures employment levels, remained unchanged at 51.4%.
Rural WPR was stable at 53.8%, while urban WPR improved slightly to 46.8%.
Female labor force participation remained broadly stable at 32.7%, with rural female participation rising to 36.6% and urban female participation easing slightly to 24.8%.
Methodology
PLFS survey conducted on over 372,000 people
The PLFS data is based on responses from 372,852 people across India, including 212,390 in rural areas and 160,462 in urban regions.
The survey uses the current weekly status (CWS) approach to measure employment or job-seeking activity over the week preceding the survey.
MoSPI started releasing monthly PLFS estimates from January 2025 after revising its survey methodology for more frequent insights into India's labor market trends.