India's unemployment rate drops to 5.1% in July as job market improves, more women join workforce

India's unemployment rate (UR) for persons aged 15 years and above declined to 5.1% in July 2026, from 5.5% in June 2026, as both labour force participation and worker population ratios improved, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin released by the National Statistics Office (NSO), Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, on Monday.

The rural UR fell sharply to 4.5% in July from 5.0% in June, while the urban UR was nearly steady at 6.7%, against 6.6% a month earlier. Compared with July 2025, the overall and rural UR remained broadly stable, while the urban UR fell 0.5 percentage points from 7.2%.

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Among men, the UR declined to 5.0% in July from 5.3% in June, and was also lower than the 5.3% recorded in July 2025. Rural male UR eased to 4.6% from 4.9% month-on-month, matching the year-ago level, while urban male UR stayed largely stable on a monthly basis but was down 0.7 percentage points from 6.6% a year earlier.

The female UR, both overall and in rural areas, declined from June levels but remained above where it stood a year ago. Urban female UR rose 0.4 percentage points to 8.8% in July from 8.4% in June, though it was broadly unchanged from 8.7% in July 2025.

The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) rose to 55.4% in July from 54.4% in June, reversing a decline seen between March and May and a flat reading in June. Rural LFPR climbed 1.4 percentage points to 58.0%, while urban LFPR edged up to 50.4% from 50.1%. Year-on-year, the overall LFPR was up 0.5 percentage points from 54.9% in July 2025, with rural LFPR up 1.1 percentage points and urban LFPR down 0.3 percentage points.

Female LFPR saw a notable rise, climbing to 34.4% in July from 32.7% in June. Rural female LFPR increased to 38.8% from 36.6%, and urban female LFPR rose to 25.3% from 24.8%. On an annual basis, overall female LFPR was up 1.1 percentage points from 33.3% in July 2025.

The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for the 15-plus age group rose to 52.5% in July from 51.4% in June, marking its first increase since February 2026. Rural WPR increased 1.6 percentage points to 55.4%, while urban WPR ticked up to 47.0% from 46.8%. Rural female WPR jumped 2.5 percentage points to 37.2% from 34.7%, and urban female WPR rose to 23.1% from 22.7%. Year-on-year, overall WPR was higher by 0.5 percentage points at 52.5%, with rural WPR up 1.0 percentage point and urban WPR unchanged at 47.0%.

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The July 2026 bulletin is the sixteenth in the monthly series since the PLFS methodology was revised from January 2025 to provide monthly and quarterly labour market estimates based on the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach. The estimates are based on a sample of 3,71,021 persons surveyed nationally, comprising 2,11,411 in rural areas and 1,59,610 in urban areas.