Labour force engagement rises to 55.8%, unemployment rate falls: MoSPI report

The National Statistics Office, which operates under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), recently released its latest Quarterly Bulletin of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 55.8 per cent in October–December 2025, according to the latest report, which indicates an increase from 55.1 per cent in the prior quarter.

Female participation shows improvement

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The overall female LFPR for persons aged 15 years and above also showed improvement, rising to 34.9 per cent, from 33.7 per cent in the previous quarter, driven primarily by rural women, whose participation increased from 37.5 per cent in July–September 2025 to 39.4 per cent in the current quarter.

The report also stated that female LFPR in urban areas remained largely stable.

Unemployment rate declines in rural and urban areas

The Unemployment Rate (UR) among persons aged 15 years and above declined in both rural and urban regions, according to the MoSPI data. Rural UR fell to 4.0 per cent from 4.4 per cent, with the decline attributed to the UR reductions among both men and women. Urban unemployment decreased to 6.7 per cent, with urban male UR dropping from 6.2 per cent to 5.9 per cent.

Worker population ratio on the rise

The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 53.1 per cent, up from 52.2 per cent, in the December 2025 quarter, mainly due to higher rural workforce engagement.

Female WPR aged 15 years and above continued to improve, reflecting growing women’s participation in employment, the data showed.

Self-employment trends

Self-employment among persons aged 15 years and above increased in rural areas to 63.2 per cent, up from 62.8 per cent in the previous quarter, while in urban areas it stood at 39.7 per cent during the October-December 2025.

Sector-wise employment patterns

Agriculture remained the largest employer in rural regions, engaging 58.5 per cent of employed persons aged 15 years and above during the quarter, indicating an increase from 57.7 per cent in the earlier quarter, whereas the tertiary sector dominated urban employment, accounting for 61.9 per cent of the workforce.