PLFS 2024
Key Employment Indicators
LFPR
Labour Force Participation Rate
WPR
Worker Participation Rate
UR
Unemployment Rate
April 2025
National Statistics Office, Government of India
Key Employment Indicators
Understanding the metrics of PLFS
Labour Force Participation Rate LFPR
Percentage of persons in the labour force (working or seeking/available for work) in the total population.
Worker Population Ratio WPR
Percentage of employed persons in the total population.
Unemployment Rate UR
Percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force.
These indicators are measured using two approaches: Current Weekly Status (CWS) and Usual Status (ps+ss).
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024
India Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)
Trends 2023 vs 2024 (Current Weekly Status-CWS)
LFPR: Percentage of persons in labour force in the population
2023
2024
Key Findings (not displayed in above chart)
•
Overall Rural LFPR remained almost constant from 58.8% to 58.6%
•
Overall Urban LFPR increased from 50.3% to 51.0%
•
Overall Male LFPR rose from 77.0% to 78.1%
•
Overall Female LFPR fall from 35.4% to 34.7%
•
All-India LFPR remained constant at 56.2%
Source: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024, Current Weekly Status
India Worker Population Ratio (WPR)
Trends 2023 vs 2024 (Current Weekly Status-CWS)
WPR: Percentage of employed persons in the population
2023
2024
Key Findings (Not displayed in the chart above)
•
Overall Rural WPR remained constant at 56.2% to 56.1%
•
Overall Urban WPR increased from 47.0% to 47.6%
•
Overall male WPR improved from 73.2% to 74.2%
•
Overall female WPR fall from 33.7% to 33.0%
•
All-India WPR nearly unchanged 53.4% to 53.5%
Source: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024, Current Weekly Status
India Unemployment Rate (UR)
Trends 2023 vs 2024 (Current Weekly Status-CWS)
UR: Percentage of unemployed persons among the labour force
2023
2024
Key Findings
•
Overall rural UR remained constant at 4.3% to 4.2%
•
Overall Urban UR remained constant at 6.7%
•
Overall male UR slightly fall from 5.0% to 4.9%
•
Overall female UR remained constant at 4.9%
•
All-India UR marginally improved from 5.0% to 4.9%
Source: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024, Current Weekly Status
Key Findings
PLFS 2024 Labour Market Summary (Current Weekly Status-CWS)
Labour Market Stability
All-India LFPR remained unchanged at 56.2%. Overall WPR showed minimal change from 53.4% to 53.5%.
Persistent Gender Gap
Male LFPR (78.1%) remains more than double female LFPR (34.7%) in 2024. Similar pattern in employment rates.
Urban Employment Growth
Urban male WPR increased from 69.9% to 71.0%. Overall urban LFPR rose from 50.3% to 51.0%.
Rural Female Decline
Rural female LFPR decreased from 39.6% to 38.6%. Drop in unpaid household helpers (19.9% to 18.1%).
Unemployment Trends
All-India UR marginally improved from 5.0% to 4.9%. Urban female UR improved significantly from 8.9% to 8.2%.
Source: Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2024 | National Statistics Office, Government of India