The unemployment rate for persons aged 15 years and above rose to 5.4% in the April-June 2026 quarter, up 0.4 percentage points from the previous quarter, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the Union Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Monday (August 10, 2026).

The rural unemployment rate was 4.8% (4.3% in January-March) while the urban rate edged up to 6.7% from 6.6%. Among rural males, the unemployment rate was 4.8%, and for rural females, it was 4.7%. Among urban females, the unemployment rate was 8.7%, compared to 6.1% among males.

The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above declined to 54.6% from to 55.5% in the previous quarter. The urban LFPR remained unchanged at 50.2%, with the urban male LFPR increasing marginally to 75.3% from 75.0%. The urban Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above remained stable at 46.8%, the survey found.

“The share of regular wage and salaried employees increased in both rural and urban areas, rising from 15.5% to 16.1% in rural areas and from 48.9% to 49.3% in urban areas,” the PLFS data said.

The share of employment in the secondary sector increased in both rural and urban areas during the quarter. In rural areas, worker engagement in the secondary sector increased to 24.4% from 22.6%. The share of the tertiary sector also recorded an increase in rural areas, the survey found.