India’s overall unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above remained unchanged at 5.2 percent in October, according to the latest Monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey released on Monday. However, unemployment in cities rose to 7 percent, which is the highest level in three months. In contrast, rural unemployment improved slightly, falling from 4.6 percent in September to 4.4 percent in October.
The report showed a small change in joblessness among women. The unemployment rate for women in the 15 plus age group went down slightly to 5.4 percent in October. It was 5.5 percent in September. Officials said this change happened mainly because unemployment among rural women fell from 4.3 percent to 4 percent. A woman from a village told the survey team that more women are now able to find small jobs even if these jobs are not permanent.
For men, the unemployment rate stayed stable at 5.1 percent. A minor fall in rural male unemployment from 4.7 percent to 4.6 percent was balanced out by a small rise in urban male unemployment, which increased from 6 percent to 6.1 percent.
The Labour Force Participation Rate, which measures how many people are working or looking for work, reached a six month high of 55.4 percent in October. This rate has been rising for four months, up from 54.2 percent in June. Rural participation also increased, going from 56.1 percent in June to 57.8 percent in October.
Participation among women aged 15 and above reached 34.2 percent in October, the highest since May. This rise was driven mainly by more women in rural areas joining the workforce. An economist said that the growing participation of women is one of the strongest factors lifting the overall labour numbers.
The Worker Population Ratio, which is the share of people who are actually working, stood at 52.5 percent in October. It has been rising steadily since June. The survey noted that the increase in rural women joining the workforce has played a major role in this trend.
