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Informist, Monday, Mar. 16, 2026

 

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--MoSPI: India unemployment rate 4.9% in Feb vs 5.0% in Jan 
--CONTEXT: MoSPI releases Periodic Labour Force Survey for February 
--MoSPI: India rural unemployment rate 4.2% in Feb vs 4.2% in Jan 
--MoSPI: India urban unemployment rate 6.6% in Feb vs 7.0% in Jan 
--MoSPI: India labour force participation rate 55.9% in Feb vs 55.9% Jan 
--MoSPI: India worker population ratio rate 53.2% in Feb vs 53.1% Jan 

 

NEW DELHI – The unemployment rate in India for people aged 15 years or above eased in February, brought down by a decline in urban joblessness. The female unemployment rate fell at the all-India level while it remained unchanged for men, as per the Periodic Labour Force Survey for February released Monday.

 

The overall unemployment rate moderated to 4.9% in February from a three-month high of 5.0% in January, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.

 

The rural unemployment rate for those aged above 15 remained steady at 4.2% in February while it moderated to 6.6% in urban areas from 7.0% in January.

 

The unemployment rate for females aged above 15 years fell in February to 5.1% from 5.6% a month ago. For males, it remained unchanged at 4.8% for the second consecutive month.

 

"February 2026 marked a strong recovery for the urban job market with more women working and unemployment rates dropping sharply across both rural and urban sectors," the ministry said in a release. The female unemployment rate in rural areas was 4.0% in February, down from 4.3% a month earlier, while in urban areas it fell to 8.7% from 9.8% in January.

 

Youth unemployment--relating to those aged 15-29 years--increased to a four-month high of 14.8% in February, pulled up by a rise in joblessness in rural areas. Youth unemployment was 14.7% in January.

 

The labour force participation rate-–the percentage of persons working or seeking or available for work--remained unchanged at 55.9% in February. The labour force participation rate was higher in rural areas at 58.7% against 50.4% in urban areas. The female labour force participation rate rose to 35.3% last month from 35.1% in January.

 

The worker population ratio, which is the percentage of employed persons in the population, for persons aged 15 years and above inched up to 53.2% in February from 53.1% in January.  End

 

Reported by Shubham Rana

Edited by Rajeev Pai

 

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