New Delhi: India’s unemployment rate fell to 5.2 per cent in the July-September quarter from 5.4 per cent in the previous three months, driven by increased rural employment during the farming season and pick up in female participation, government data showed on Monday.
The unemployment rate among those 15 years and above eased in rural areas to 4.4 per cent in the July-September period from 4.8 per cent in the previous quarter, while urban unemployment ticked up to 6.9 per cent from 6.8 per cent, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released by the Ministry of Statistics, showed.
The survey covered 564,000 people across India and estimated 562 million employed persons during the quarter, Reuters reported.
The overall labour force participation rate (LFPR) rose marginally to 55.1 per cent from 55.0 per cent in the previous quarter. The female participation rate increased to 33.7 per cent from 33.4 per cent, continuing an upward trend in women’s engagement in the workforce.
However, unemployment rate among women in urban areas rose to 9 per cent from 8.9 per cent and among men it was at 6.2 per cent from 6.1 per cent in the previous quarter, data showed.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) - the share of employed persons in the total population - also rose slightly to 52.2 per cent from 52.0 per cent, supported by higher female participation, especially in rural areas.
The share of self-employed workers in rural areas increased to 62.8 per cent from 60.7 per cent, reflecting seasonal farm activity, while regular wage and salaried employment in urban areas improved modestly to 49.8 per cent from 49.4 per cent.
The survey also showed that 57.7 per cent of the rural workforce was engaged in agriculture during the quarter, compared with 53.5 per cent earlier, while the share of urban workers in the tertiary sector rose to 62.0 per cent.