Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation
MONTHLY BULLETIN OF PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY (PLFS)
Urban LFPR and Urban WPR showed broad stability
Rural UR for female almost at same level
Posted On:
15 APR 2026 4:00PM by PIB Delhi
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Snapshot:
- Overall LFPR (15+ years) reported as 55.4% in March, 2026 compared to 55.9% in February, 2026.
- Female LFPR (15+ years) estimated at 34.4% in March, 2026; declined marginally from February, 2026 (35.3%).
- The overall WPR (15+ years) stood at 52.6% in March, 2026.
- Urban WPR (15+ years) remained broadly unchanged in March, 2026 for both male and female.
- Overall UR (15+ years) estimated at 5.1% in March, 2026.
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A. Introduction
The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by NSO, MoSPI, is the primary source of data on activity participation and employment and unemployment conditions of the population. The PLFS survey methodology has been modified from January, 2025 to provide monthly and quarterly estimates of labour force indicators for the country.
Monthly results of PLFS are released in the form of Monthly Bulletins. It presents estimates of key labour market indicators viz. Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate (UR) at the all-India level following the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach.
The Monthly Bulletins for April, 2025 to February, 2026 have already been released. The present Monthly Bulletin for March, 2026 is the twelfth in the series.
Key findings for persons of age 15 years and above following CWS:
- Urban Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) shows steady trend:
The overall LFPR among persons of age 15 years and above reported as 55.4% in March, 2026. Rural LFPR was 58.0% in March, 2026 as compared to 58.7% in February, 2026 while urban LFPR remained almost stable during this period.
Urban LFPR broadly unchanged at 50.3% in March, 2026
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- Overall Female labour force participation declined marginally:
Female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in March, 2026 was reported as 34.4%, against 35.3% in February, 2026. Female LFPR in rural areas was found as 38.9% in March, 2026, while the same stood at 25.2% in urban areas during the month.
Female labour force participation reported as 34.4% in March, 2026
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- Urban WPR levels remained stable:
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in the age group 15 years and above remained broadly stable in urban areas in March, 2026. The overall WPR was estimated at 52.6% in March, 2026. In rural areas, WPR stood at 55.5% in March, 2026 as compared to 56.3% in February, 2026 while WPR in urban areas observed as 46.8% in March, 2026, against 47.0% in February, 2026.
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Urban WPR remained stable in March, 2026
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- Unemployment Rate (UR) showed a modest increase:
The UR among persons of age 15 years and above rose slightly to 5.1% in March, 2026 from 4.9% in February, 2026 mainly driven by urban UR which edged up from 6.6% in February, 2026 to 6.8% in March, 2026.
Overall Unemployment Rate (UR) stood at 5.1% in March, 2026
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- Female UR in rural areas remains almost stable:
Among rural female aged 15 years and above, the UR remained almost stable in March, 2026, whereas the male UR in the same age group was marginally high in March, 2026 in comparison to February, 2026.
Female Unemployment Rate (UR) in rural areas remains stable in March, 2026
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At the all-India level, the monthly estimates are based on information collected from a total number of 3,75,262 persons surveyed.
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persons surveyed in rural areas
2,13,984
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persons surveyed in urban areas
1,61,278
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The Monthly Bulletin for March, 2026 is available on the Ministry's website (https://www.mospi.gov.in).
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