Brief Context
Context The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for June 2025 has been released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation. Major Highlights Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among persons of age 15 years and above was 54.2 % during June 2025 as compared to 54.8% during May, 2025. LFPR in rural areas was 56.1% and LFPR in urban areas was 50.4%.
Source Content
Syllabus: GS3/Economy
Context
- The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for June 2025 has been released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
- The PLFS gives estimates of key employment and unemployment Indicators.
- These indicators are:
- Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): It is the percentage of persons in the labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
- Worker Population Ratio (WPR): WPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population.
- Unemployment Rate (UR): UR is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force.
- Current Weekly Status (CWS): The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey.
Major Highlights
- Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) among persons of age 15 years and above was 54.2 % during June 2025 as compared to 54.8% during May, 2025.
- LFPR in rural areas was 56.1% and LFPR in urban areas was 50.4%.
- Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in rural areas among persons of age 15 years and above was 53.3% during June, 2025.
- WPR in urban areas among persons of the same age group was 46.8% with the overall WPR at the country level observed as 51.2%.
- The unemployment rate for females and males of all ages above 15 was 5.6%.
- While for men, the rate remained same as of May, for females, there was a decrease in UR by 0.1 percentage point.
- While the rural unemployment rate decreased by 0.2 percentage points, the urban unemployment rate increased by 0.2 percentage points between May and June.
- The marginal decline in LFPR and WPR was largely influenced by seasonal agricultural patterns, intense summer heat limiting outdoor physical work, and a shift of some unpaid helpers, particularly from higher-income rural households, towards domestic chores.
Government Initiatives to Increase Women Participation in Labour Force:
- Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana (PMMY): Under PMMY, women can avail of micro-credit loans without collateral to set up small enterprises, helping women overcome barriers related to accessing capital.
- Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Scheme: The scheme works to prevent gender-based discrimination and violence, focusing on changing societal attitudes towards girls.
- It promotes education, health, and empowerment, which indirectly increases women’s participation in the labor force.
- Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act, 2017: The Act extended the maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for women working in establishments with more than 10 employees.
- Women Entrepreneurship Platform (WEP) by NITI Aayog: The platform offers mentorship, networking, funding, and skill development opportunities for women in business.
- Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM): The NRLM, through its SHG component, encourages women in rural areas to form collectives that can access credit, entrepreneurship training, and marketing opportunities.
- National Creche Scheme: This scheme supports working mothers, especially those in the unorganized sector, by setting up daycares in nearby locations where they can leave their children while they work.
- Mission Shakti is a women empowerment programme launched by the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) for the period 2021-2025.
- It aims to strengthen interventions for women’s welfare, safety, and empowerment, making women equal partners in nation-building.
- The Women in Science and Engineering-KIRAN (WISE KIRAN) program has supported nearly 1,962 women scientists from 2018 to 2023.
Way Ahead
- The marginal increase in urban unemployment, coupled with reduced labour force engagement, reflects ongoing structural challenges in generating quality jobs, especially in the non-agricultural and urban sectors.
- Moreover, the influence of climatic factors such as extreme heat on labour participation highlights the growing relevance of environmental factors in shaping employment trends.
- Continued monthly tracking of labour data will be essential to monitor emerging patterns and to ensure timely, targeted interventions that can address deficiencies in India’s labour market.
Source: PIB