The Indian job market showed improvement in November 2025 as unemployment fell to a seven-month low of 4.7%, according to official PLFS data released by the National Statistics Office, with higher workforce participation and employment across rural and urban areas.
What changed in the Indian job market
The Periodic Labour Force Survey showed broad improvement across key labour indicators in November. The labour force participation rate for people aged 15 and above rose to 55.8%, the highest since April 2025. More people either worked or actively looked for jobs during the month.
Rural areas drove the rise in participation. Rural LFPR increased to 58.6%, while the urban rate remained stable at 50.4%.
Employment and participation trends
The worker population ratio improved to 53.2% in November from 52.5% in October. Rural WPR rose to 56.3%, while urban employment levels showed little change.
Female participation strengthened further. Female LFPR increased to 35.1% in November from 32% in June, led by higher rural participation. Rural female WPR rose to 38.4%, lifting the overall female employment ratio to 33.4%.
Unemployment declines across groups
Unemployment for those aged 15 and above declined to 4.7% from 5.2% in October. Rural unemployment fell to 3.9%, while urban unemployment eased to 6.5%.
Female unemployment dropped to 4.8% from 5.4%. Male unemployment declined to 4.6% from 5.1%, with improvements recorded in both rural and urban areas.
Government assessment
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said stronger rural employment, rising female participation, and improving urban job demand supported the decline in unemployment. The Centre conducts the PLFS at the all-India level.
For November, the survey covered 3,73,229 individuals, including 2,13,337 people in rural areas and 1,59,892 in urban centres, according to official data.
