MoSPI releases Monthly Bulletin for Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) – July 2026

What happened (July 2026 labour-market snapshot from PLFS)

MoSPI released the Monthly Bulletin for the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for July 2026. Using the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach for age 15 years and above, MoSPI reported an increase in labour force participation, an increase in workforce participation, and a decline in unemployment for July 2026 compared with June 2026.

Key labour-market indicators for age 15 years and above (CWS)

Overall labour-market indicators for July 2026 (CWS):

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased to 55.4% in July 2026 from 54.4% in June 2026. • Rural LFPR increased to 58.0% in July 2026 from 56.6% in June 2026. • Urban LFPR increased marginally to 50.4% in July 2026 from 50.1% in June 2026. • Female LFPR rose to 34.4% in July 2026 from 32.7% in June 2026. • Overall Workforce Participation Rate (WPR) increased to 52.5% in July 2026 from 51.4% in June 2026; MoSPI stated it was the first increase since February 2026. • Rural WPR increased to 55.4% in July 2026 from 53.8% in June 2026. • Urban WPR increased marginally to 47.0% in July 2026 from 46.8% in June 2026. • Overall Unemployment Rate (UR) declined to 5.1% in July 2026 from 5.5% in June 2026. • Rural UR decreased to 4.5% in July 2026 from 5.0% in June 2026. • Urban UR remained almost steady at 6.7% in July 2026 versus 6.6% in June 2026.

All-India comparison with July 2025 (changes year-on-year)