India's urban areas record rise in employment

New Delhi, April 9: The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in India’s urban areas increased for males from 74.3 per cent in 2023 to 75.6 per cent in 2024, and slightly for females from 25.5 per cent to 25.8 per cent, leading to an overall rise in it from 50.3 per cent to 51 per cent indicating an increase in employment, according to data released by the Ministry of Statistics on Wednesday.

Slight improvements were seen across all categories, particularly in the overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which is another indicator of employment, from 47 per cent to 47.6 per cent in urban areas. At an all-India level. the overall WPR remained relatively unchanged, from 53.4 per cent to 53.5 per cent, according to the official statement.

At an all-India level, unemployment saw a minor drop from 5.0 per cent to 4.9 per cent, suggesting slight improvements in employment opportunities, the official statement said.

A decline in unpaid helpers in household enterprises seems to have contributed to the drop in WPR as well as LFPR among rural females, as the percentage of "helpers in Household Enterprises" decreased from 19.9 per cent to 18.1 per cent from 2023 to 2024, the official statement said.

Quarterly data quarter that was released earlier showed that the LFPR in India’s urban areas among persons of age 15 years and above has risen to 50.4 per cent in the quarter October-December 2024 from 49.9 per cent in the same quarter of the previous year, reflecting an increase in employment in the country.

LFPR for males of age 15 years and above in urban areas increased to 75.4 per cent during October-December, 2024 from 74.1 per cent during the same quarter in 2023, reflecting overall increasing trend in male LFPR.

LFPR among females of age 15 years and above for urban areas increased to 25.2 per cent during the quarter from 25 per cent in the same period of the preceding year.

The WPR also went up in urban areas among persons of age 15 years to 47.2 per cent in October-December 2024 from 46.6 in the same quarter of 2023

WPR for males of age 15 years and above for urban areas increased to 70.9 per cent during the quarter from 69.8 per cent in the same period of the previous year, reflecting an overall increasing trend in male WPR.

Reader Comments

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Priya K.

This is encouraging news! The slight increase in female participation is a step in the right direction, though we still have a long way to go for gender parity in the workforce. 👏

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Rahul S.

The numbers look positive but I wonder how much of this is quality employment vs just more people taking up gig work or informal jobs. The report doesn't clarify that.

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Anjali M.

As someone who just got hired in Delhi's tech sector, I can confirm the job market feels more active this year! Though competition is still fierce for good positions.

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Vikram P.

While the urban numbers are improving, I wish the article had more analysis on rural employment trends. That's where the majority of our population still lives and works.

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Sunita R.

The increase is so small (0.3% for women) that it's hardly worth celebrating. We need bolder policies to get more women into formal employment with benefits and security.

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Arjun T.

Good to see positive movement! Hope this trend continues and translates to better wages and working conditions across sectors. The youth need stable career opportunities.

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