Overall LFPR Show Upward Momentum as Unemployment Falls to New Low In November 2025

India’s labour market continued to show signs of strengthening in November 2025, with key employment indicators recording steady improvement. According to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). Both the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased, while the Unemployment Rate (UR) declined to its lowest level since April 2025.

About the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)

Conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), PLFS is the primary official source of employment and unemployment data in India.

Provides estimates of key labour market indicators,

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR)
• Unemployment Rate (UR)

From January 2025, PLFS methodology modified to provide,

• Monthly and quarterly labour market estimates
• Based on Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach

November 2025 bulletin: 8th release in the series, covering April–November 2025

Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)

Measures the proportion of working-age population (15+) that is employed or actively seeking work.

• Overall LFPR (Nov 2025): 55.8%, highest since April 2025 and seven-month high
• Rural LFPR: 58.6% (April 2025: 58.0%; Oct 2025: 57.8%)
• Urban LFPR: Slight moderation to 50.4% (Oct 2025: 50.5%)

Indicates stronger labour market participation in rural areas

Female Labour Force Participation

Overall female LFPR increased from 32.0% (June 2025) to 35.1% (Nov 2025)

• Rural female LFPR: 39.7% (June 2025: 35.2%) – substantial improvement
• Urban female LFPR: Stable around 25.5% – slower progress

Rising female participation reflects,

• Inclusive growth
• Gender equality
• Enhanced economic productivity

Worker Population Ratio (WPR)

Measures the proportion of population actually employed

• Overall WPR (Nov 2025): 53.2% (Oct 2025: 52.5%; June 2025: 51.2%)
• Rural WPR: 56.3% (April 2025: 55.4%)
• Urban WPR: Broadly stable
• Rural female WPR: 38.4% (Oct 2025: 36.9%)
• Overall female WPR: 33.4% (Oct 2025: 32.4%)

Suggests more people, especially rural women, are employed

Unemployment Rate (UR)

• Overall UR (Nov 2025): 4.7% (Oct 2025: 5.2%), lowest since April 2025
• Rural UR: 3.9% – new low
• Urban UR: 6.5% – matches April 2025 low
• Indicates improved labour absorption, especially in rural areas

Gender-Wise and Sector-Wise Unemployment Trends

• Female UR: 4.8% (Oct 2025: 5.4%)
• Rural female UR: 3.4%
• Urban female UR: 9.3%
• Male UR: 4.6% (Oct 2025: 5.1%)
• Rural male UR: 4.1%
• Urban male UR: 5.6%

Decline in unemployment broad-based across gender and rural–urban areas

Key Takeaways

• LFPR rose to 55.8% in November 2025, the highest since April 2025.
• Rural female LFPR increased sharply to 39.7%.
• WPR improved to 53.2%, indicating higher employment levels.
• Overall Unemployment Rate declined to 4.7%, the lowest since April 2025.
• Rural unemployment fell to 3.9%, a new low.

Question

Q. What was India’s overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in November 2025?
(A) 53.2%
(B) 55.8%
(C) 50.4%
(D) 56.3%