Top News

India's unemployment rate surges to 5.1% in March
15 Apr 2026

India's unemployment rate has hit a five-month high of 5.1% in March, up from 4.9% in February, according to the Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS).

The rise is mainly due to an increase in urban joblessness.

Women and youth have been particularly affected by this spike, with youth witnessing a rise in their unemployment rate.

Urban joblessness on the rise
Urban impact

The urban unemployment rate has gone up to 6.8% in March, from 6.6% in February.

This is a major contributor to the overall increase in India's unemployment figure.

Rural areas also saw a slight uptick in joblessness with the rate rising from 4.2% to 4.3%. However, it was still lower than its urban counterpart for the month of March.

Women and youth most affected
Gender disparity

Women continue to bear the brunt of higher unemployment, with a rate of 5.3% compared to 5% for men.

Youth unemployment (ages 15-29) also rose, hitting 15.2% in March against February's 14.8%.

The survey covered over 89,000 households and almost four lakh individuals across rural and urban areas to compile this data on joblessness in India.

Labor force participation rate declines
Participation drop

The labor force participation rate (LFPR), which indicates the percentage of people either working or looking for work, has also seen a decline.

It slipped to a five-month low of 55.4% in March from February's 55.9%.

Male participation dipped marginally from 77.5% to 77.4%, while the female LFPR saw a sharper drop from 35.3% to 34.4%.