Employment rate: Joblessness dips for 2nd month as figure eases to 5.1% in August; rural, male categories drive fall

India’s unemployment rate for people aged 15 years and above eased to 5.1 per cent in August 2025, marking a second consecutive month of decline, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) on Monday.The rate had stood at 5.2 per cent in July and 5.6 per cent in both May and June. The fall brings unemployment back to its April level of 5.1 per cent, as seen in the first PLFS monthly bulletin issued in May this year, as per news agency PTI.An official statement noted that the decline was broad-based, with rural and male categories recording steady improvements. Male unemployment slipped to 5 per cent in August — its lowest in five months — compared with 5.3 per cent in July. This drop was driven largely by urban male unemployment easing from 6.6 per cent in July to 5.9 per cent in August, while the rural male rate fell to 4.5 per cent.Overall, rural unemployment has declined steadily for three months, from 5.1 per cent in May to 4.3 per cent in August.The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also showed a positive trend, particularly among women. According to news agency PTI, female WPR rose for the second month in a row, reaching 32 per cent in August compared with 30.2 per cent in June. As per news agency ANI, rural female WPR climbed from 33.6 per cent in June to 35.9 per cent in August, while urban female WPR improved to 23.8 per cent from 22.9 per cent over the same period.Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among women strengthened as well, increasing from 32 per cent in June to 33.7 per cent in August. The rise was visible both in rural areas, where LFPR went up from 35.2 per cent to 37.4 per cent, and in urban centres, from 25.2 per cent to 26.1 per cent. The overall LFPR for all persons aged 15 and above inched up from 54.2 per cent in June to 55 per cent in August.At the all-India level, the August bulletin is based on information collected from 3,76,839 individuals, covering both rural and urban households. The survey follows the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach, which measures activity status on the basis of the preceding seven days.The PLFS, conducted by the National Statistical Office under MoSPI, has been revamped since January 2025 to provide high-frequency labour force indicators. Monthly bulletins are now issued, with the August edition being the fifth in the series.