Considering the need to generate high-frequency labour force indicators with wider coverage, the sampling methodology of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) was revamped from January 2025. The redesigned PLFS aims to achieve the following objectives:

 

• To generate key employment and unemployment indicators – namely Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate (UR) – every month for both rural and urban areas at the all-India level under the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
• To extend the Quarterly PLFS results to rural areas, thereby producing quarterly estimates of labour market indicators for both rural and urban India under the CWS framework.
• To provide annual estimates of key employment and unemployment indicators in both usual status (ps+ss) and Current Weekly Status (CWS) for rural as well as urban areas.

 

Earlier PLFS Quarterly Bulletins, released up to December 2024, presented labour market indicators only for urban areas. The current Bulletin for April–June 2025 marks the first in the series to provide estimates for both rural and urban areas. In this Quarterly Bulletin, for the first time, efforts have been made to provide estimates of the number of workers in absolute terms.

This Quarterly Bulletin presents estimates of key labour force indicators—Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate (UR), and the distribution of workers by broad employment status and industry of work—in the Current Weekly Status (CWS), separately for rural and urban areas at the all-India level. In addition, state-level estimates of LFPR, WPR, and UR in CWS are also provided for selected States.

In the Monthly Bulletins of PLFS, estimates of Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and Unemployment Rate (UR) at the all-India level are presented under the Current Weekly Status (CWS), disaggregated by gender, sector, and broad age-groups.

The monthly Bulletin for the months April 2025, May 2025 and June 2025 have already been released. The present monthly Bulletin for the month of July 2025 is the fourth in the series of Monthly Bulletins.

 

Key findings: Quarterly Bulletin April -June 2025

 

• The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Current Weekly Status (CWS) for persons aged 15 years and above was 55.0% during April–June 2025, with 57.1% in rural areas and 50.6% in urban areas.
• LFPR in CWS for male of age 15 years and above in rural and urban areas were 78.4% and 75.1% respectively during April - June, 2025. LFPR among female of age 15 years and above for rural areas was 37.0% during the quarter April - June, 2025.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in CWS among persons of age 15 years and above was 54.4% in rural areas. WPR in urban areas was 47.1% among persons of the same age group with the overall WPR at the country level observed as 52.0% during the quarter April - June, 2025.
• WPR for female of age 15 years and above for rural and urban areas were 35.4% and 23.3%, respectively during April - June 2025 and the overall female WPR of the same age group at the country level was observed as 31.6%.
• In terms of employment status, self-employment dominated in rural areas (55.3% of men and 71.6% of women), while regular wage/salaried employment was predominant in urban areas (47.5% of men and 55.1% of women).
• By industry of work, the agriculture sector engaged the majority of rural workers (44.6% of men and 70.9% of women), while the tertiary sector was the largest source of employment in urban areas (60.6% of men and 64.9% of women). On average, 56.4 crore persons (aged 15 years and above) were employed in the country during this quarter, of which 39.7 crore were men and 16.7 crore were women.

• Unemployment Rate (UR) in CWS for both males and females of age 15 years and above was recorded as 5.4% during the quarter April - June 2025.
• The overall rural UR was lower at 4.8% compared to the UR of 6.8% observed for the urban areas in April – June 2025 quarter.

Key findings: Monthly Bulletin July 2025

 

• During the month of July 2025, LFPR in CWS among persons of age 15 years and above was 54.9% as compared to 54.2% during June 2025.
• During July 2025, LFPR in rural areas and urban areas was 56.9% and 50.7%, respectively for persons of the same age group.

• LFPR in CWS for rural male of age 15 years and above was 78.1% whereas the LFPR for urban male of the same age group was 75.1% during July, 2025.
• LFPR among rural female of the same age group increased to 36.9% during July 2025 as compared to 35.2% reported during June 2025.

• During the month of July 2025, WPR in CWS in rural areas among persons of age 15 years and above increased to 54.4% from WPR of 53.3% observed in June 2025. WPR in urban areas has marked marginal increase to 47.0% in July 2025 from 46.8% in June 2025 for persons of the same age group.
• WPR for rural female of age 15 years and above was 35.5% in July 2025 as compared to 23.5% observed for urban female. The overall female WPR of the same age group at the country level was 31.6% in July 2025.
• UR in CWS among persons of age 15 years and above declined to 5.2% in July 2025 from 5.6% in June 2025.

 

ANNEXURE –I

Key Findings of PLFS, Quarterly Bulletin (April – June 2025)

1. Labour Force Participation Rate (in per cent) in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above during the quarter April - June 2025
sector	age group	male	female	person
rural	15-29 years	62.6	22.5	42.3
	15 years and above	78.4	37.0	57.1
	all ages	57.0	27.9	42.3
urban	15-29 years	59.3	21.3	41.3
	15 years and above	75.1	25.6	50.6
	all ages	58.5	20.4	39.9
rural + urban	15-29 years	61.5	22.1	42.0
	15 years and above	77.3	33.4	55.0
	all ages	57.5	25.6	41.5

 

2. Worker Population Ratio (in per cent) in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above during the quarter April - June 2025
sector	age group	male	female	person
rural	15-29 years	54.2	19.7	36.8
	15 years and above	74.5	35.4	54.4
	all ages	54.1	26.7	40.3
urban	15-29 years	50.0	16.0	33.9
	15 years and above	70.5	23.3	47.1
	all ages	55.0	18.6	37.2
rural + urban	15-29 years	52.8	18.6	35.8
	15 years and above	73.1	31.6	52.0
	all ages	54.4	24.2	39.3

 

3.Unemployment Rate (in per cent) in CWS for persons of age 15 years and above during the quarter April - June 2025
sector	age group	male	female	person
rural	15-29 years	13.4	12.4	13.1
	15 years and above	5.0	4.3	4.8
	all ages	5.0	4.3	4.8
urban	15-29 years	15.8	24.7	17.9
	15 years and above	6.1	8.9	6.8
	all ages	6.1	8.9	6.8
rural + urban	15-29 years	14.1	16.0	14.6
	15 years and above	5.4	5.4	5.4
	all ages	5.4	5.4	5.4

 

Key Findings of PLFS, Monthly Bulletin (July 2025)

 

Statement 1: Labour Force Participation Rate (in per cent) in CWS
sector	survey month	male	female	person
	age group: 15-29 years
rural	April 2025	63.5	23.8	43.4
	May 2025	63.1	22.9	42.7
	June 2025	62.0	20.5	41.1
	July 2025	61.7	21.1	41.2
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	79.0	38.2	58.0
	May 2025	78.3	36.9	56.9
	June 2025	78.1	35.2	56.1
	July 2025	78.1	36.9	56.9
	age group: all age
	April 2025	57.5	28.8	42.9
	May 2025	57.0	27.8	42.2
	June 2025	56.9	26.5	41.5
	July 2025	56.7	27.7	42.0
urban	age group: 15-29 years
	April 2025	59.1	21.5	41.2
	May 2025	58.6	21.3	40.8
	June 2025	58.9	20.6	40.8
	July 2025	59.1	21.2	41.2
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	75.3	25.7	50.7
	May 2025	75.1	25.3	50.4
	June 2025	75.0	25.2	50.4
	July 2025	75.1	25.8	50.7
	age group: all age
	April 2025	58.5	20.5	39.9
	May 2025	58.5	20.2	39.7
	June 2025	58.6	20.2	39.8
	July 2025	58.7	20.7	40.1
rural + urban	age group: 15-29 years
	April 2025	62.0	23.1	42.7
	May 2025	61.6	22.4	42.1
	June 2025	61.0	20.6	41.0
	July 2025	60.9	21.1	41.2
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	77.7	34.2	55.6
	May 2025	77.2	33.2	54.8
	June 2025	77.1	32.0	54.2
	July 2025	77.1	33.3	54.9
	age group: all age
	April 2025	57.8	26.2	42.0
	May 2025	57.5	25.5	41.4
	June 2025	57.4	24.5	41.0
	July 2025	57.4	25.5	41.4

 

Statement 2: Worker Population Ratio (in per cent) in CWS
sector	survey month	male	female	person
	age group: 15-29 years
rural	April 2025	55.3	21.2	38.0
	May 2025	54.3	19.9	36.8
	June 2025	53.5	17.7	35.5
	July 2025	53.7	18.3	35.8
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	75.1	36.8	55.4
	May 2025	74.2	35.2	54.1
	June 2025	74.1	33.6	53.3
	July 2025	74.5	35.5	54.4
	age group: all age
	April 2025	54.7	27.7	41.0
	May 2025	53.9	26.5	40.0
	June 2025	54.0	25.3	39.5
	July 2025	54.1	26.6	40.2
urban	age group: 15-29 years
	April 2025	50.2	16.4	34.1
	May 2025	49.4	16.1	33.5
	June 2025	49.1	15.3	33.1
	July 2025	49.0	15.9	33.4
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	71.0	23.5	47.4
	May 2025	70.5	23.0	46.9
	June 2025	70.2	22.9	46.8
	July 2025	70.1	23.5	47.0
	age group: all age
	April 2025	55.1	18.7	37.3
	May 2025	54.9	18.3	36.9
	June 2025	54.8	18.3	37.0
	July 2025	54.8	18.9	37.2
rural + urban	age group: 15-29 years
	April 2025	53.6	19.8	36.8
	May 2025	52.6	18.8	35.8
	June 2025	52.0	17.0	34.7
	July 2025	52.1	17.6	35.1
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	73.7	32.5	52.8
	May 2025	72.9	31.3	51.7
	June 2025	72.8	30.2	51.2
	July 2025	73.0	31.6	52.0
	age group: all age
	April 2025	54.8	24.9	39.8
	May 2025	54.2	24.0	39.0
	June 2025	54.2	23.2	38.7
	July 2025	54.3	24.2	39.2

 

Statement 3: Unemployment Rate (in per cent) in CWS
sector	survey month	male	female	person
	age group: 15-29 years
rural	April 2025	13.0	10.7	12.3
	May 2025	14.0	13.0	13.7
	June 2025	13.8	13.7	13.8
	July 2025	13.0	13.0	13.0
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	4.9	3.9	4.5
	May 2025	5.3	4.7	5.1
	June 2025	5.1	4.4	4.9
	July 2025	4.6	3.9	4.4
	age group: all age
	April 2025	4.9	3.8	4.5
	May 2025	5.3	4.7	5.1
	June 2025	5.1	4.4	4.9
	July 2025	4.6	3.9	4.4
urban	age group: 15-29 years
	April 2025	15.0	23.7	17.2
	May 2025	15.8	24.4	17.9
	June 2025	16.6	25.8	18.8
	July 2025	17.1	25.1	19.0
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	5.8	8.7	6.5
	May 2025	6.2	9.1	6.9
	June 2025	6.4	9.1	7.1
	July 2025	6.6	8.7	7.2
	age group: all age
	April 2025	5.8	8.7	6.5
	May 2025	6.2	9.1	6.9
	June 2025	6.4	9.1	7.1
	July 2025	6.7	8.7	7.2
rural + urban	age group: 15-29 years
	April 2025	13.6	14.4	13.8
	May 2025	14.5	16.3	15.0
	June 2025	14.7	17.4	15.3
	July 2025	14.3	16.7	14.9
	age group: 15 years and above
	April 2025	5.2	5.0	5.1
	May 2025	5.6	5.8	5.6
	June 2025	5.6	5.6	5.6
	July 2025	5.3	5.1	5.2
	age group: all age
	April 2025	5.2	5.0	5.1
	May 2025	5.6	5.7	5.6
	June 2025	5.6	5.6	5.6
	July 2025	5.3	5.1	5.2

 

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ANNEXURE –II

B.         Sample Design of PLFS

 

In revamped PLFS design adopted from January 2025, a rotational panel sampling design is used for both rural and urban areas. In this rotational panel scheme, each selected household is visited four times in four consecutive months –in the beginning with first visit schedule in the first month and other three with the revisit schedule in the following three months. The scheme of rotation ensures that 75% of the first-stage sampling units (FSUs) are matched between two consecutive months. The rotational panel components used for generation of the quarterly estimates are chosen in a manner so that 50% matching of first stage units (FSUs) between two consecutive quarters are maintained.

C.         Sample Size for Quarterly Bulletin April - June 2025 and Monthly Bulletin July 2025

 

At the all-India level, a total number of 11,274 FSUs (6,213 census villages or sub-units as the case may be for rural areas and 5,061 UFS blocks or sub-units as the case may be in urban areas) have been surveyed during the quarter April - June, 2025. The number of households surveyed was 1,34,128 (73,960 in rural areas and 60,168 in urban areas) and number of persons surveyed was 5,70,805 (3,25,989 in rural areas and 2,44,816 in urban areas).

During the month of July 2025, a total number of 7,519 FSUs (4,144 census village or sub-unit as the case may be for rural areas and 3,375 UFS block or sub-unit as the case may be in urban areas) have been surveyed at the all-India level. The number of households surveyed was 89,505 (49,355 in rural areas and 40,150 in urban areas) and number of persons surveyed was 3,79,222 (2,16,832 in rural areas and 1,62,390 in urban areas).

Conceptual Framework of Key Employment and Unemployment Indicators for the Quarterly Bulletin: The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) gives estimates of key employment and unemployment Indicators like the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), Unemployment Rate (UR), etc. These indicators, and ‘Current Weekly Status’ are defined as follows:

1. Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
2. Worker Population Ratio (WPR): WPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population.
3. Unemployment Rate (UR): UR is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force.
4. Current Weekly Status (CWS): The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status (CWS) of the person.

The Quarterly Bulletin for the quarter April - June 2025 and the Monthly Bulletin for the month July 2025 are available at the website of the Ministry (https://mospi.gov.in).

The estimates of key labour market indicators presented in these Bulletins may be interpreted taking into consideration the corresponding estimates of Relative Standard Error (RSE) provided.

The key quarterly and monthly results are given in the statements annexed.

D. Comparability of monthly estimates with previously released estimates of PLFS

The sample design of the Periodic Labour Survey (PLFS) has been revamped from January 2025. As part of revamping of the sample design monthly rotational panel scheme has been implemented for both rural and urban areas wherein each selected household is visited four times in four consecutive months – one with first visit schedule and other three with the revisit schedule in the following three months. The aspects related to the multistage stratified design followed in PLFS like the choice of First stage Units (FSU) to be surveyed, the primary geographical unit (i.e. basic stratum) from which FSUs are selected, stratification rules applied to FSUs and sampling selection method for selecting FSUs have been changed. The number of households to be surveyed within a selected FSU has been increased from 8 to 12 households.

In addition, some changes have also been incorporated in the structure of the Schedule of inquiry. The details of the revamped PLFS sample design and changes made in the Schedule of inquiry have been provided in the PLFS release titled PLFS: Changes in 2025^[1].  Users of PLFS results need to consider the changes implemented in PLFS from January 2025 while comparing PLFS results with estimates released through PLFS publications up to December, 2024. The results of the PLFS post January 2025 thus need to be understood and used in the context with which the sample selection methodology of PLFS has been designed.

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Samrat/Allen

(Release ID: 2157501)