This rate is unchanged from the previous quarter, but represents a decline from 6.5% in the same period of 2023-24.
The labour force participation rate (LFPR) – people working or actively seeking work – also held steady at 50.4% in the October-December 2024 quarter compared to the July-September quarter. It was 49.9% for those aged 15 years and above in the third quarter of 2023-24, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The female unemployment rate dropped to an all-time low of 8.1% in the October-December quarter.
Conversely, the male unemployment rate slightly rose to 5.8% in the October-December quarter from 5.7% in the quarter before.Among 22 states and union territories, Jammu and Kashmir recorded the highest unemployment rate at 13.1%, followed by Himachal Pradesh (10.4%), and Rajasthan (9.7%).
The survey covered 45,074 urban households and 1,70,487 people for the October-December period. Male labour force participation rate was at a record high of 75.4% in October-December period.
Meanwhile, female LFPR, which has been above 25% for five consecutive quarters, slightly declined to 25.2% from 25.5% in the previous quarter. Nearly half of the workforce were regular wage or salaried employees, followed by self-employed (39.9%), and casual labour (10.7%). Among the self-employed, 32.8% were own-account workers or employers, while 6% worked as helpers in household enterprises.
Over half of females were regular wage or salaried employees, compared to males, where the figure stood at 47.7%.
