India releases first-ever monthly unemployment data; April jobless rate at 5.1%
In a landmark move, India on Thursday released its first monthly labour force and unemployment data, marking a shift toward real-time employment monitoring.
According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (
MoSPI
), the country's unemployment rate (UR) stood at 5.1% in April 2025 for individuals aged 15 years and above, with a marginally higher rate for men (5.2%) than for women (5.0%).
This new monthly data, collected under the
Current Weekly Status
(CWS) measure of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), is part of an effort to ensure faster and more granular insights into India's labour market.
Until now, employment indicators were only available quarterly for urban areas and annually at the national level.
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in April was recorded at 55.6% nationwide. Rural India reported a stronger engagement in the labour force, with an LFPR of 58.0%, compared to 50.7% in urban regions.
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Among men, the LFPR remained high across both geographies—79.0% in rural areas and 75.3% in urban areas—while for women, it was markedly lower. The rural female LFPR was 38.2%, underlining the continued reliance on informal and unpaid work, especially in agricultural households.
Meanwhile, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR)—a measure of the proportion of working-age people who are employed—stood at 52.8% for the country overall. The rural WPR was higher at 55.4%, while in urban areas it was 47.4%.
Gender disparities were stark in this indicator as well. While rural women had a WPR of 36.8%, only 23.5% of urban women aged 15 and above were employed. The total female WPR across India was 32.5% in April.
This data has been collected under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) framework of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), and will now be published every month with a 45-day lag, bringing India closer to international standards in labour data reporting. The monthly release is expected to address longstanding gaps in employment.
The official unemployment rate for April is reported to be lower than the 7.73% figure estimated by the private forecasting agency, the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), reported Reuters. According to the official statistics, urban unemployment stands at 6.5%, while rural unemployment is recorded at 4.5%.
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