Urban unemployment rate, a critical indicator of joblessness, edged down to 6.4% during July-September from the year-ago period, according to government data
AMN / NEW DELHI
In a good sign, the urban unemployment rate in the September quarter of the current financial year (Q2FY25) declined to a fresh low of 6.4 per cent since the data was started to be compiled in 2017, due to a sharper dip in female unemployment rate, according to the quarterly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data for urban India released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) on Monday.
The joblessness rate in Q1FY25 had declined to 6.6 per cent from a four-quarter high of 6.7 per cent in Q4FY24.
The headline unemployment rate under the current weekly status (CWS) for women, where activity status is determined based on the reference period over the past seven days preceding the date of the survey, stood at 8.4 per cent during the quarter, down from the 9 per cent in the preceding quarter.
For males, the unemployment rate declined from 6.0% to 5.7%, while for females, it dropped from 8.6% to 8.4%.
The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in urban areas—the proportion of those aged 15 and above actively engaged in or seeking work—rose to 50.4% during the July-September 2024 period, up from 49.3% a year earlier. Male LFPR saw an increase from 73.8% to 75.0%, indicating a positive trend, while female LFPR rose modestly to 25.5% from 24%.