India’s unemployment rate for those aged 15 and above fell to 5.2% in July from 5.6% in June, driven mainly by improvements in rural areas where unemployment dropped to 4.4% from 4.9%. In contrast, urban unemployment slightly increased to 7.2% from 7.1%, highlighting ongoing challenges in city job markets, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
Women faced higher unemployment overall, though urban female joblessness declined to 8.7% from 9.1%, while male unemployment in cities rose to 6.7% from 6.4%. Rural unemployment decreased for both genders.
Self-employment dominates in rural areas, while salaried jobs are more common in cities. Agriculture remains the main employer in rural regions, with services leading in urban areas.
Labour force participation rose modestly to 54.9%, with male participation steady at 77.1% and female participation increasing slightly to 33.3%. Youth participation, especially among women, remains low. The PLFS survey sampled over 89,000 households nationwide, with data now released monthly for quicker insights.
