Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 16: The unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above edged up marginally in December, even as the labour force participation rate (LFPR) continued its upward trend, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) monthly data released on Thursday.

The overall unemployment rate was estimated at 4.8% in December, slightly higher than 4.7% recorded in November. While the rural unemployment rate remained unchanged at 3.9%, joblessness in urban areas increased to 6.7% from 6.5% in the previous month.

Among rural males aged 15 years and above, the unemployment rate remained steady at 4.1% during December. In urban areas, the unemployment rate among females showed a marginal improvement, easing to 9.1% from 9.3% in November.

The data also highlighted a continued rise in labour force participation. The overall LFPR for those aged 15 years and above increased to 56.1% in December from 55.8% in November. In rural India, the LFPR rose to 59% compared to 58.6% a month earlier, while urban centres saw a slight dip to 50.2% from 50.4%.

Female participation in the labour force showed a modest improvement overall, with LFPR rising to 35.3% in December from 35.1% in November. Rural female LFPR increased to 40.1% from 39.7%, while urban female participation slipped marginally to 25.3% from 25.5%.

The survey further indicated a gradual improvement in the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for the 15 years and above age group. Among rural males, the WPR rose to 76% in December from 75.4% in November. However, among urban males, it declined slightly to 70.4% from 70.9%, taking the overall male WPR to 74.1%.

The PLFS serves as the primary source of official data on employment and unemployment trends in the country, providing estimates of key labour market indicators such as LFPR, WPR and unemployment rate at the all-India level under the current weekly status method.