India’s latest Periodic Labour Force Survey indicates sustained employment growth and shifting employment characteristics, challenging narratives of jobless growth and highlighting the economy’s resilience in creating jobs for all segments, including women and youth.
India’s latest Periodic Labour Force Survey suggests the country’s growth story is still producing work, not merely output. The 2025 annual report estimates that 61.6 crore people were employed, with 41.6 crore men and 20 crore women in work. It puts the unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above at 3.1% and the worker population ratio at 57.4%, figures that do not fit the idea that expansion has been detached from job creation.
The broader labour-market picture also points to relative stability. The survey shows a labour force participation rate of 59.3%, with male participation at 79.1% and female participation at 40%. That matters because participation measures not just whether jobs exist, but whether people are entering the labour market at all. Rural women remain an important part of that trend, with rural female participation at 45.9% and the rural female worker population ratio at 44.9%, suggesting that women’s involvement in paid work is becoming more embedded in the economy.
There are also signs that pressure on younger workers is easing. Youth unemployment among those aged 15 to 29 fell from 10.3% in 2024 to 9.9% in 2025, according to the survey. Rural youth unemployment declined from 8.7% to 8.3%, while the urban figure eased from 14.3% to 13.6%. Rural unemployment overall stood at 2.4%, compared with 4.8% in cities, underlining the continued gap between countryside and urban labour markets.
A separate analysis by Drishti IAS noted that the PLFS also points to a modest shift in the character of employment, with self-employment slipping to 56.2% and regular wage or salaried work rising to 23.6%. That suggests the labour market is not only absorbing workers but also changing shape, albeit gradually. Taken together, the data complicates a simple “jobless growth” argument and instead points to an economy still creating employment, even as urban youth and women continue to face sharper hurdles than the national average.
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