Overall LFPR, WPR and UR remained unchanged

Urban LFPR and WPR improved marginally

Rural UR softened slightly

Snapshot:

• Overall LFPR (15+ years) recorded as 54.4% in June, 2026, unchanged from May, 2026 and marginally higher than 54.2% recorded in June, 2025.
• Female LFPR (15+ years) observed at 32.7% in June, 2026 against 32.8% in May, 2026, remaining 0.7 percentage points above its level in the corresponding month of the previous year (32.0%).
• Overall WPR (15+ years) remained unchanged at 51.4% in June 2026, compared to previous month and registered an increase of 0.2 percentage points over June, 2025 (51.2%).
• Male WPR (15+ years) increased from 72.5% in May, 2026 to 72.9% in June, 2026, showing broad stability as compared to June, 2025 (72.8%).
• Overall UR (15+ years) remained stable in June, 2026 at 5.5% compared to previous month as well as previous year (5.6%).
• Following a continuous rise from February, 2026 onwards, the rural male UR (15+ years) recorded a decline in June 2026 and remained below the level recorded in the corresponding month of the previous year. 

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 May, 2026 have already been released. The present Monthly Bulletin for June, 2026 is the fifteenth in the series.

Key findings for persons of age 15 years and above following CWS:

• Urban Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased marginally:

The overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 54.4% in June, 2026, remaining at the same level as in May, 2026. In rural areas, the LFPR estimated at 56.6%, unchanged from the level recorded in the previous month, whereas urban areas registered a modest improvement, with the LFPR rising to 50.1% in June, 2026 from 49.8% in May, 2026.

The overall LFPR in June, 2026 registered a modest increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to June, 2025. Rural LFPR also recorded a notable rise of 0.5 percentage points over the same period, while the urban LFPR experienced a decrease of 0.3 percentage points.

Urban LFPR experienced marginal increase to 50.1% in June, 2026, from 49.8% in May, 2026

• Female labour force participation remained stable:

The overall female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 32.7% in June, 2026 compared to 32.8% in May, 2026. In rural areas, female LFPR remained broadly stable at 36.6% in June, 2026 against 36.7% May, 2026. Female LFPR in urban areas maintained the same level at 24.8% in June, 2026 as compared to the previous month.

The overall female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for persons aged 15 years and above stood at 32.7% in June, 2026, marking an increase of 0.7 percentage points over June, 2025 (32.0%). In rural areas, female LFPR rose to 36.6% in June, 2026, higher by 1.4 percentage points compared to 35.2% in June, 2025. In urban areas, female LFPR moderated slightly to 24.8% in June, 2026, as against 25.2% in June, 2025, reflecting a decline of 0.4 percentage points.

Overall female LFPR remained stable compared to the previous month and was higher than its level observed a year earlier

• WPR largely unchanged:

The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above remained stable at 51.4% in June, 2026, the same level as in May, 2026. In rural areas, WPR also held steady at 53.8%, unchanged from the previous month, while it showed a marginal improvement in urban areas, rising to 46.8% in June, 2026 from 46.6% in May, 2026.

The overall WPR registered a slight increase of 0.2 percentage points, over the year. In rural areas, WPR recorded a gain of 0.5 percentage points, moving from 53.3% in June, 2025 to 53.8% in June, 2026, while, the urban WPR remained unchanged over the same period.

The male WPR improved in June, 2026 relative to both the previous month and the same month a year earlier

• Unemployment Rate (UR) at the same level:

The overall Unemployment Rate (UR) remained unchanged in June, 2026 at 5.5% compared to May, 2026. During the same period, the rural UR eased marginally from 5.1% to 5.0%, while the urban UR increased slightly from 6.4% to 6.6%.

On a year-on-year basis, the urban UR declined from 7.1% in June, 2025 to 6.6% in June, 2026, a reduction of 0.5 percentage points. The overall UR and rural UR remained broadly stable over the same period.

Overall UR remained unchanged in June, 2026