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India’s Labour Force Participation Rate Rises to 55.6%

  • 16 Sep 2026

On 15th September 2026, the NSO released Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data showing higher labour participation and lower rural unemployment in August.

Key Points

  • Overall LFPR: Labour Force Participation Rate rose to 55.6% in August from 55.4% in July.
  • Rural LFPR: Rural participation increased to 58.2%, while urban LFPR remained at 50.4%.
  • Year-on-Year Rise: Overall LFPR increased by 0.6 percentage point from August 2025.
  • Female LFPR: Female participation rose to 34.8% from 34.4% in July.
  • Rural Women: Rural female LFPR increased to 39.4% from 38.8%.
  • Overall WPR: Worker Population Ratio increased to 52.8% from 52.5% in July.
  • Rural WPR: Rural WPR rose to 55.8%, while urban WPR remained at 47.0%.
  • Overall Unemployment: Unemployment Rate declined marginally to 5.0% from 5.1%.
  • Rural Unemployment: Rural UR fell to 4.1%, its lowest level since January 2026.
  • Urban Unemployment: Urban UR remained broadly stable at 6.8%.
  • Survey Coverage: August estimates covered 3,70,160 persons across India.