Both the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in India saw an increase in June 2026 compared to the previous year, indicating a rise in employment, as per data released by the Ministry of Statistics. Urban unemployment rate (UR) decreased from 7.1% in June 2025 to 6.6% in June 2026, with overall and rural UR remaining stable.
The LFPR in June 2026 rose by 0.2 percentage points from June 2025. Rural LFPR increased by 0.5 percentage points, while urban LFPR decreased by 0.3 percentage points during the same period. Urban LFPR slightly rose to 50.1% in June 2026 from 49.8% in May 2026.
Female LFPR for individuals aged 15 and above was 32.7% in June 2026, up by 0.7 percentage points from June 2025. Rural female LFPR increased to 36.6%, while urban female LFPR slightly declined to 24.8% in June 2026. Overall female LFPR remained stable and higher than a year earlier.
The overall WPR increased by 0.2 percentage points over the year, with rural WPR rising to 53.8% in June 2026. Urban WPR remained unchanged. Male WPR showed improvement in June 2026 compared to the previous month and the same period a year earlier.
Monthly estimates are based on data collected from 3,72,852 individuals surveyed in rural and urban areas across India. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the National Statistics Office provides data on employment conditions. The PLFS survey methodology was revised in January 2025 to offer monthly and quarterly estimates of labour force indicators.
