Employment patterns in rural India showed signs of diversification in the April-June 2026 quarter, with the share of workers in the secondary sector rising sharply while agriculture’s share declined, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
The share of rural workers employed in the secondary sector, including mining and quarrying, increased to 24.4% in April-June 2026 from 22.6% in January-March 2026. At the same time, agriculture’s share fell from 55.8% to 52.9%, indicating a shift in the composition of rural employment. The tertiary sector also gained ground, with its share rising from 21.7% to 22.7%.
The increase in non-farm employment came alongside a rise in regular wage and salaried work in rural areas. The proportion of workers in regular wage or salaried employment increased to 16.1% in April-June from 15.5% in the previous quarter. In urban areas, the corresponding share rose from 48.9% to 49.3%.
However, rural labour force participation softened during the quarter. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for people aged 15 years and above declined to 56.9% from 58.2% in January-March 2026. The rate was broadly stable compared with 57.1% in April-June 2025. Overall LFPR, covering rural and urban areas, fell to 54.6% from 55.5% in the previous quarter.
The rural unemployment rate edged up to 4.8% from 4.3% quarter-on-quarter, although it remained unchanged compared with April-June 2025. Rural male unemployment declined to 4.8% from 5% a year earlier.
The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) in rural areas stood at 54.2%, down from 55.7% in the preceding quarter and 54.4% a year earlier. Female rural WPR fell to 35.4% from 37.6% in the previous quarter, while male WPR declined to 74.1% from 75.2%.
The PLFS also estimated that an average 56.6 crore people aged 15 years and above were employed across India during the quarter, including 40.2 crore men and 16.4 crore women. The estimates were based on information collected from 5,59,673 persons, including 3,18,792 respondents in rural areas.
The latest bulletin is part of the redesigned PLFS, under which quarterly labour market estimates are now provided for both rural and urban India. The methodology was revamped from January 2025 to generate more frequent and wider-coverage employment and unemployment indicators.