Overview
- Official PLFS data for July–September (Q2 FY26) put the overall unemployment rate at 5.2% on a Current Weekly Status basis, down from 5.4% in Q1.
- Rural unemployment dropped to 4.4% as the share of rural workers in agriculture rose to 57.7%, which the statistics ministry linked to Kharif operations.
- Urban unemployment edged up to 6.9% even as the urban share of regular wage and salaried employment increased to 49.8%.
- Youth unemployment (ages 15–29) rose to 14.8%, while the female labour force participation rate nudged up to 33.7%.
- Self-employment in rural areas increased to 62.8%, and the release marked the second quarterly estimate under the revamped rotational-panel PLFS based on about 1.34 lakh households.