The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation has released the latest findings from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2024, providing a detailed glimpse into India’s employment landscape.
The data highlights shifts in labour force participation, worker population ratios, and unemployment rates across rural and urban areas.
In urban areas, the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) witnessed a slight increase, climbing from 74.3% to 75.6% for males and 25.5% to 25.8% for females. This led to an overall rise in LFPR from 50.3% to 51.0%. Similarly, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) saw modest improvements across the board, with urban WPR increasing from 47.0% to 47.6%.
On the unemployment front, urban areas experienced contrasting trends. While male unemployment rose marginally from 6.0% to 6.1%, female unemployment decreased from 8.9% to 8.2%. Despite these fluctuations, the overall urban unemployment rate remained stable at 6.7%.
The survey also shed light on the decline in unpaid helpers in household enterprises, particularly among rural females. This shift impacted both LFPR and WPR among this demographic.
Conducted between July 2023 and June 2024, the PLFS surveyed over 415,000 individuals across 12,749 locations. These findings offer crucial insights into India’s evolving workforce dynamics.
