PLFS Monthly Bulletin September 2025: Unemployment Rate Rises Marginally to 5.2%

Current Context: The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin for September 2025 was released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) on 15 October 2025.

• India’s Unemployment Rate (UR) under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) rose marginally to 5.2%, compared to 5.1% in August 2025.
• Rural Unemployment Rate increased to 4.6% (from 4.3%), while the Urban Unemployment Rate edged up to 6.8% (from 6.7%).
• Among gender groups, Urban Female Unemployment Rate was the highest at 9.3%, followed by Rural Female Unemployment Rate at 5.5%.
• Urban Male Unemployment Rate stood at 6.0%, and Rural Male Unemployment Rate at 4.7%.
• The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) improved slightly: 77.1% for men and 34.1% for women.

Question:

Q.1 What was India’s overall Unemployment Rate (UR) under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) in September 2025?
a) 5.2%
b) 5.1%
c) 5.0%
d) 5.3%

Answer: a) The overall Unemployment Rate under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) rose slightly to 5.2% in September 2025, compared to 5.1% in August 2025.