Understanding Unemployment in India: May 2025 Insights

Women Face Higher Unemployment at 5.8%

India saw a rise in unemployment in May 2025. The rate increased to 5.6% from 5.1% in April. The government reported this on Monday. Seasonal changes played a big role. Rural jobs decreased after the Rabi harvest season ended. The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation shared this in their report.

The ministry launched the first monthly edition of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) last month. This survey tracks the unemployment rate in real-time. It counts unemployed people who are eligible for jobs, as reported by PTI.

Unemployment Rate by Age

Women faced a slightly higher unemployment rate than men in May. The rate was 5.8% for women and 5.6% for men. This data comes from the latest weekly status report.

• Young people aged 15–29 saw a significant rise in joblessness. The national rate for this group increased from 13.8% in April to 15% in May.
• Among young women of the same age, in both urban and rural areas, the rate rose to 16.3% from 14.4% the month before.
• Joblessness among men aged 15-29 years was recorded at 14.5% in May.

Urban vs Rural Unemployment Rate

Both urban and rural areas experienced an increase in unemployment.

• In urban areas, the rate rose to 17.9% in May from 17.2% in April.
• Rural areas also saw an increase. The rate went from 12.3% in April to 13.7% in May.

In rural areas, fewer jobs were available in agriculture. The rate dropped from 45.9% in April to 43.5% in May 2025. More people found work in the industrial and services sectors. This change could be due to less agricultural activity after the Rabi harvest season ended for both men and women, the report noted.

The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) also decreased to 54.8% in May from 55.6% in April.

• In urban areas, the LFPR declined to 50.4% from 50.7%.
• Rural participation dropped more sharply to 56.9% from 58%.

Among women in rural areas, LFPR saw a significant dip. It went from 38.2% to 36.9%. This is mostly because fewer women were working as casual laborers or unpaid helpers. LFPR among males aged 15 years and above also went down to 78.3% in May from 79% in April.

The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures the proportion of working individuals in the population, also declined. Nationally, it slipped to 51.7% in May from 52.8% in April. Female WPR fell more sharply to 31.3% from 32.5%.

The May survey covered over 89,000 households and nearly 3.8 lakh individuals across both rural and urban India.