Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey

On 9th April 2025, the latest Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the National Statistical Office (NSO), covering January–December 2024, shows modest improvements in India’s labour market indicators, especially in urban areas, under both Current Weekly Status (CWS) and Principal and Subsidiary Status (PS+SS).

Key Points

Urban LFPR Rise (CWS): Labour Force Participation Rate(LFPR) in urban areas increased from 50.3% in 2023 to 51.0% in 2024, with male LFPR rising to 75.6% and female LFPR inching up to 25.8%.
WPR Sees Slight Uptick: Urban Worker Population Ratio(WPR) under CWS rose from 47.0% to 47.6%; nationwide WPR also edged up from 53.4% to 53.5%.
Unemployment Mixed:
- Urban areas: Overall unemployment stable at 6.7%; male unemployment up to 6.1%, female unemployment down to 8.2%.
- Rural areas: Slight dip in unemployment from 4.3% to 4.2%.
- National rate: Fell marginally from 5.0% to 4.9% (CWS).
Fewer Unpaid Rural Female Workers: Share of unpaid helpers among rural women declined from 19.9% to 18.1%, possibly influencing slight dips in LFPR and WPR for this group.
PS+SS Estimates Stable: National LFPR dipped from 59.8% to 59.6%, and WPR from 58.0% to 57.7%; unemployment rose marginally from 3.1% to 3.2%.