Unemployment rate dips to 4.7% in November: PLFS, Pg14

Key Highlights:

• The unemployment rate dropped to 4.7% in November, the lowest since April's 5.1%.
• The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased to 55.8% in November, the highest since April.
• Rural areas primarily drove the rise in LFPR, increasing to 58.6% in November from 58% in April.
• Female LFPR showed a steady rise from June 2025 to November 2025, increasing from 32% to 35.1%.
• The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in rural areas increased from 55.4% in April 2025 to 56.3% in November 2025.
• The National Statistical Office (NSO) surveyed 3,73,229 people for the PLFS.

Detailed Insights:

• The rise in overall LFPR was mainly due to an increase in rural areas, with the rural LFPR rising from 57.8% in October to 58.6% in November.
• Urban LFPR saw a marginal decrease from 50.5% to 50.4% during the same period.
• The increase in female LFPR was primarily driven by higher participation in rural areas, with rural female LFPR rising from 35.2% in June 2025 to 39.7% in November 2025.
• Overall WPR rose from 52.8% to 53.2%, with rural WPR increasing while urban WPR remained largely stable.
• Rural female WPR improved from 36.8% in April 2025 to 38.4% in November 2025, contributing to the rise in overall female WPR from 32.5% to 33.4%.
• The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Key Concepts Involved:

• Unemployment Rate (UR): Percentage of the labor force that is jobless and actively seeking employment.
• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): Proportion of the population aged 15 years and above that is either working or seeking work.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR): Percentage of the population that is employed.