Rural women’s workforce participation rises; rural unemployment steady at 4.2% in Feb: PLFS
The survey shows that the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for people aged 15 years and above remained unchanged at 55.9% in February 2026, the same level as in January. However, participation remained significantly higher in rural India at 58.7%, compared with 50.4% in urban areas.
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India’s rural labour market remained largely stable in February 2026, with participation in work staying strong in villages and a modest increase seen in women joining the workforce, according to the latest monthly bulletin of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) released by the National Statistical Office under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
The survey shows that the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for people aged 15 years and above remained unchanged at 55.9% in February 2026, the same level as in January. However, participation remained significantly higher in rural India at 58.7%, compared with 50.4% in urban areas, reflecting the continued dependence on agriculture and allied rural livelihoods.
Women’s participation in the labour force registered a slight improvement. The female LFPR increased to 35.3% in February from 35.1% in January, with rural areas recording a stronger presence of women workers. In villages, female LFPR rose to 40%, up from 39.7% a month earlier, suggesting more women are taking up farm and non-farm work.
Employment levels also remained stable. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures the share of people employed, stood at 53.2% nationally, while rural WPR was higher at 56.3%, underlining the continued role of rural economic activities in sustaining jobs.
The survey also indicates stability in rural unemployment. The rural unemployment rate remained unchanged at 4.2% in February, while urban unemployment fell to 6.6% from 7.0% in January, pulling the overall national rate down slightly to 4.9%.
Encouragingly, unemployment among women declined across both rural and urban areas. The overall female unemployment rate fell to 5.1% from 5.6%, with rural female unemployment dropping from 4.3% to 4.0% during the month.
The findings are based on responses from 3.74 lakh individuals, including over 2.13 lakh surveyed in rural areas. The monthly PLFS bulletin has been released regularly since 2025 to provide more frequent insights into employment and unemployment patterns across the country.
