PLFS July–September 2025 Report

On 10th November 2025, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin for July–September 2025, released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), indicates continued improvement in India’s labour market, with higher female participation and a marginal decline in the unemployment rate.

Key Points

Overall Labour Force Participation: The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among persons aged 15 years and above increased slightly to 55.1%, compared to 55.0% in the previous quarter. Rural LFPR rose from 57.1% to 57.2%, while urban LFPR moved up from 50.6% to 50.7%.
Female Participation Rising: The female LFPR climbed to 33.7% in July–September 2025 from 33.4% in April–June 2025, primarily driven by rural women, whose participation rose from 37.0% to 37.5%.
Worker Population Ratio (WPR): The overall WPR improved to 52.2%, up from 52.0% in the previous quarter.
Unemployment Rate (UR): The unemployment rate among persons aged 15 years and above declined to 5.2%, down from 5.4% in the last quarter.
Employment Composition: Self-employment dominated in rural India, accounting for 62.8% of the workforce, up from 60.7%.
Sectoral Trends: Rural employment remained concentrated in agriculture, which engaged 57.7% of the rural workforce, reflecting seasonal activity.