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India's unemployment climbs to 5.2%, highest in 6 months
15 May 2026

India's unemployment rate has hit a six-month high of 5.2% in April, up from March's 5.1%.

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) monthly bulletin released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation revealed this trend.

The rise was mainly driven by rural India, where the unemployment rate increased to 4.6% in April from March's 4.3%.

Urban unemployment declines
Urban trends

In contrast to rural India's situation, urban unemployment saw a significant decline in April.

The rate fell from 6.8% to 6.6%, the lowest since April 2025.

This improvement was especially notable among women, with urban female unemployment dropping to 8.5% in April from March's 9%.

Urban male unemployment also witnessed a slight decrease during this period.

Nationally, women continue to face tougher labor market
Gender disparity

Despite the improvement in urban areas, women nationally continue to face a tougher labor market.

Overall female unemployment rose to 5.4% in April from March's 5.3% and last year's 5%.

Male unemployment also saw an increase to 5.1% during this period but remained slightly below last year's figures for April (5.2%).

The rise in unemployment was accompanied by a fall in labor force participation rates for people aged 15+ and in female labor force participation rates.