A very relieving news related to the job market of the country has come to light. The unemployment rate in India for people aged 15 years and above has improved to 5.1 percent in the July-September 2026 quarter. In the same period last year, it was 5.2 percent, whereas in the last quarter of this year (April-June 2026) it was recorded at 5.4 percent. The data of Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO) clearly shows that employment opportunities in the country are gradually improving. Know what was the condition of unemployment in villages and cities, and in which areas the number of people working has increased.
Unemployment decreased in villages, situation stable in cities
According to the latest PLFS report, this survey conducted among about 5.55 lakh people has revealed a different picture of rural and urban areas. A big improvement has been seen in the unemployment rate in rural areas. It has come down from 4.8 percent in the last quarter to 4.3 percent in the current quarter. The unemployment rate of men in the village has decreased from 4.7 percent a year ago to 4.4 percent. At the same time, the total unemployment rate in cities remains almost stable at 6.8 percent as against 6.7 percent. In cities, there has been slight improvement in both the unemployment rate of men (decreased from 6.2% to 6.1%) and the unemployment rate of women (decreased from 9.0% to 8.8%).
Number of self-employed and employed people increased
The most interesting aspect of this report is that a positive change has also been seen in the nature of employment of people. The share of people doing their own work or self-employment in rural areas has increased from 61.4% in the last quarter to 62.7%. At the same time, the share of regular salaried employees in urban areas has increased from 49.3% to 49.6%.
Talking about daily wage labour, it is a matter of relief that the share of daily wage laborers has decreased in both villages and cities. In villages it has decreased from 22.5% to 21.7% and in cities it has decreased from 11.1% to 10.7%. This means that more people are now turning towards permanent work or self-employment.
What is PLFS survey?
PLFS (Periodic Labor Force Survey) is a major survey of the National Statistical Office (NSO). It provides accurate data of employment, unemployment and labor force status in the country. Its methodology was changed in January 2025, so that the figures for every month and quarter could be more accurate. This bulletin for July-September 2026 is the sixth bulletin of this new system.
Source: hindi.news24online.com
