Periodic Labour Force Survey Q2 2026 Results
The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation released the Quarterly Bulletin of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for April-June 2026, providing comprehensive labor market indicators for both rural and urban India under the Current Weekly Status framework. This represents the fifth bulletin in the series that includes both rural and urban estimates since the methodology was revamped in January 2025.
Key Labor Market Indicators
The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above declined to 54.6% during April-June 2026 from 55.5% in the previous quarter January-March 2026. Rural LFPR decreased to 56.9% from 58.2%, while urban LFPR remained unchanged at 50.2%. Male LFPR in urban areas increased marginally to 75.3% from 75.0%, while overall female LFPR declined to 33.2% from 34.7% in the previous quarter.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 51.7% in April-June 2026 compared to 52.8% in the previous quarter. Urban WPR remained stable at 46.8%, with male WPR increasing marginally to 70.7% from 70.6% while female WPR declined to 22.8% from 23.1%.
Unemployment Trends
The urban Unemployment Rate for persons aged 15 years and above remained broadly stable at 6.7% during April-June 2026 compared to 6.6% in the previous quarter. Rural unemployment rate increased to 4.8% from 4.3%. Female urban unemployment rate decreased to 8.7% from 9.1% in the previous quarter.
Employment Composition Changes
Regular wage/salaried employment showed significant improvement, increasing from 15.5% to 16.1% in rural areas and from 48.9% to 49.3% in urban areas compared to the previous quarter. Compared to the same quarter last year, rural regular wage employment increased from 15.4% to 16.1%, while urban areas remained stable at approximately 49.3-49.4%.
Sectoral Employment Distribution
Employment in the secondary sector (including mining and quarrying) increased substantially in rural areas to 24.4% from 22.6% in the previous quarter. The tertiary sector in rural areas also increased to 22.7% from 21.7%, while agriculture's share declined to 52.9% from 55.8%. In urban areas, secondary sector employment increased to 31.9%, tertiary sector remained broadly stable, and agriculture declined to 6.1%.
Absolute Employment Numbers
Using projected population figures from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the survey estimated that on average 56.6 crore persons aged 15 years and above were employed in the country during April-June 2026, comprising 40.2 crore males and 16.4 crore females. The survey covered 559,673 persons nationwide, including 318,792 in rural areas and 240,881 in urban areas.