File image of job applicants at the job fair, for representation only. | Photo credit: The Hindu
The unemployment rate (UR) among people aged 15 and over fell to 4.7% in November, the lowest level since April when it was 5.1%, according to the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) report for November released on Monday (15 December 2025).
The PLFS, conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (MoSPI), said the overall labor force participation rate (LFPR) increased to 55.8% in November, the highest level recorded since April.
According to a MoSPI statement based on the PLFS report, the increase in LFPR was mainly driven by rural areas, where it rose to 58.6% in November from 58.0% in April. On a monthly basis, rural LFPRs increased from 57.8% in October, while urban LFPRs decreased slightly from 50.5% to 50.4%.
Overall, LFPR women showed a steady increase from June 2025 to November 2025, MoSPI said. “During this period, it increased from 32.0% to 35.1%, which is mainly due to higher labor force participation in rural areas, while urban female LFPR remained relatively stable. Rural female LFPR saw a consistent rise, rising from 35.2% in June 2025 to 39.7% in November 2025,” he added.
The Working Population Ratio (WPR) for those aged 15 and over in rural areas increased from 55.4% in April 2025 to 56.3% in November 2025, while the overall WPR increased from 52.8% to 53.2%. “Urban WPRs remained largely stable. In particular, rural female WPRs improved from 36.8% in April 2025 to 38.4% in November 2025, leading to an increase in total female WPRs from 32.5% to 33.4% over the period,” the center said.
“The rural UR fell to a new low of 3.9% in November 2025, while the urban UR declined to 6.5%, matching the previous low recorded in April 2025,” the report said, adding that the UR for both males and females aged 15 and over showed a significant decline in November 2025. 5.4% in October 2025. This decrease was due to the reduction of women in both rural and urban URs, which decreased from 4.0% to 3.4% and 9.7% to 9.3%, respectively,” the ministry noted. The overall male UR decreased to 4.6% compared to 5.1% in October. “Breakdown by sector, male URs in rural and urban areas in November 2025 4.1% and 5.6% compared to 4.6% and 6.1% recorded in the previous month,” the survey found.
NSO surveyed 3,73,229 people for PLFS – 2,13,337 from rural and 1,59,892 from urban areas.
Published – 15 Dec 2025 22:06 IST
