India's unemployment rate falls to 5.1% in July-Sept

ANI New Delhi: India's unemployment rate declined to 5.1 per cent during July-September 2026 from 5.4 per cent in the previous quarter, mainly due to a fall in unemployment in rural areas, according to government data released on Tuesday. The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), showed that rural unemployment fell to 4.3 per cent from 4.8 per cent in April-June 2026. However, unemployment in urban areas increased slightly to 6.8 per cent from 6.7 per cent. The ministry stated, "Overall UR for persons of age 15 years and above improved to 5.1% during the current quarter, compared with 5.4% in the previous quarter." The data also showed that more people were working or looking for jobs during the quarter. The share of people aged 15 years and above who were either employed or seeking employment increased to 55.5 per cent from 54.6 per cent in the previous quarter. Live Events You Might Also Like: India in a 'sweet spot' amid oil volatility and currency dynamics: Kotak Neo's Anindya Banerjee In rural areas, this share rose to 58.1 per cent from 56.9 per cent, while in urban areas it decreased marginally to 50.4 per cent from 50.2 per cent. The proportion of people who were actually employed also improved to 52.7 per cent from 51.7 per cent in the previous quarter. Rural employment participation increased to 55.6 per cent from 54.2 per cent, while the urban figure remained nearly unchanged at 46.9 per cent. Women's participation in employment also improved. The proportion of women who were working or looking for jobs increased to 34.7 per cent from 33.2 per cent. The share of women who were employed rose to 32.8 per cent from 31.3 per cent during the same period. The survey also showed an increase in the share of rural workers engaged in agriculture, rising to 56.7 per cent from 52.9 per cent in the previous quarter. The ministry stated, "In rural areas, the share of workers engaged in agriculture increased from 52.9% in April-June, 2026 to 56.7% in July-September, 2026." Meanwhile, the share of self-employed workers in rural areas increased to 62.7 per cent from 61.4 per cent. In cities, the share of workers holding regular salaried jobs rose slightly to 49.6 per cent from 49.3 per cent. According to the ministry, an estimated 57.9 crore people aged 15 years and above were employed in India on average during July-September 2026. Of these, 40.5 crore were men and 17.4 crore were women. Add as a Reliable and Trusted News Source Add Now! (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel ) Read More News on India unemployment rate rural joblessness decline Periodic Labour Force Survey employment participation india job market india jobs jobs in india women employment rate latest employment data (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel ) Read More News on India unemployment rate rural joblessness decline Periodic Labour Force Survey employment participation india job market india jobs jobs in india women employment rate latest employment data Prime Exclusives Investment Ideas Stock Report Plus ePaper Wealth Edition Business of Odd Things: The farm that needs no land, freshwater, or fertiliser KYC and KYB: Inside Pidilite, the company that turned Fevicol into a word for a strong bond – Part 1 of 3 Seoul halts trading, Nifty has its best week since 2021: Money leaving the AI trade – will it land in India? Junk bonds are cracking at the bottom. Will the noise get loud enough to make ‘junk bond’ a household term again? PNG connections rise half a million, but how many use piped gas for cooking? Some elections matter more than you know: No crop changed in the fields, yet sugar, coffee and soya got cheaper in a day 1 2 3 View all Stories