Unemployment in India hit 5.5% in May 2026, a 0.3 point rise from April, latest Periodic Labour Force Survey shows . Released by Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation June 15,2026. Uptick driven by rural areas. Rural jobless rate jumped from 4.6% to 5.1%.
But urban unemployment dipped, falling from 6.6% to 6.4% over same period. Ministry noted urban joblessness was better than May 2025, when it was 6.9%. Dropped 0.5 points .
Rural males 15 and older had 5.2% unemployment; rural females lower at 4.7%. In cities, different story: female unemployment hit 8.2%,while males were at 5.9%.
Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) for those 15+ was 54.4% in May,down from 55% in April. Rural LFPR was 56.6%,urban notably lower at 49.8%. Among rural males, LFPR hit 77.7%; females only 36.7%. Urban males had 74.7% participation, females just 24.8%.
Worker Population Ratio (WPR) also dropped, down to 51.4% in May from 52.2% in April. Rural WPR was 53.8%,urban lower at 46.6%. Rural males had 73.7% WPR, rural females much lower at 35.0%. In cities,females at 22.7%,males at 70.3%.
