The methodology used for the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) has been revamped with effect from January 2025. The monthly results of the survey are to be released in the form of Monthly Bulletins of PLFS. The first such bulletin for the month of April 2025 reveals the following:
Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in Current Weekly Status (CWS) among persons of age 15 years and above was 55.6 per cent in April, 2025. The LFPR in rural areas was 58 per cent, while the LFPR in urban areas was 50.7 per cent for the month, for the same age bracket.
In terms of males aged 15 years and above, the LFPR in CWS in rural was 79 per cent, while the LFPR in urban areas was 75.3 per cent during April, 2025. On the other hand, Among women aged 15 years and above, the LFPR in rural areas was 38.2 per cent.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in CWS in rural areas among those aged 15 years and above was 55.4 per cent. It was 47.4 per cent in urban areas among persons of the same age group, while the overall WPR (national level) was 52.8 per cent during April, 2025.
For females, the WPR for those aged 15 years and above for rural and urban areas was 36.8 per cent and 23.5 per cent, respectively, in April, 2025. The overall female WPR of the same age bracket at the country level was 32.5 per cent.
The unemployment rate (UR) in CWS among persons of age 15 years and above was 5.1 per cent in April, 2025. The unemployment rate for men was 5.2 per cent, while for women it was 5 per cent at the national level.
The revamped Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is meant to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators — Labour Force Participation Rate, Worker Population Ratio and Unemployment Rate—on a monthly basis for rural and urban areas in the CWS at all India level. The quarterly results of PLFS are meant to cover rural areas too.
At the all-India level, a total of 7,511 FSUs (4,140 census village or sub-unit as the case may be for rural areas and 3,371 UFS block or sub-unit as the case may be in urban areas) have been surveyed during the quarter April, 2025.
