India's unemployment rate remains unchanged at 5.2% in October, urban jobs see moderate rise

India's unemployment rate in October remained unchanged at 5.2% with a marginal decline in rural unemployment, which changed from 4.6% in September, 2025 to 4.4% in October, 2025. However, unemployment in urban areas rose from 6.8% to 7%, government data showed on Monday.

Female unemployment witnessed a marginal decline from 5.5% to 5.4% during the same period. It was mainly contributed by a decrease in rural unemployment among females, which reduced from 4.3% to 4.0%.

As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by NSO, MoSPI, the male unemployment rate remained stable at 5.1% in October, 2025 as compared to previous month. A minor decrease in rural male unemployment rate, from 4.7% to 4.6%, was offset by a slight rise in urban male unemployment rate from 6.0% to 6.1% during the same period, which contributed to overall stability.

Labour Force Participation Rate

India's Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) reached a 6-month high level of 55.4% in October 2025 after increasing for the four successive months. The LFPR in rural areas has also increased steadily from 56.1% observed in June, 2025 to 57.8% in October, 2025.

Also read: India Inc hunts for freelance talent to stay ahead in race

The overall LFPR among female reached 34.2% in October 2025, marking the highest since May 2025 driven by the increase in female LFPR in rural areas.

The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) - the share of employed persons in the total population - rose from 52.4% to 52.5% in October, mainly powered by the rise in the female workforce in rural areas.

Overall WPR among female increased steadily for the fourth month in a row, rising from 30.2% in June, 2025 to 32.4% in October, 2025.