In the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 2024, urban unemployment in India experienced a sequential rise, as per the latest data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). The overall urban unemployment rate increased from 6.5% in the previous quarter to 6.7%. However, this rate was lower than the 6.8% recorded a year ago.
On a positive note, there was an increase in female labour force participation, reaching a high of 25.6% in urban areas during the same period. This represents a 0.6 percentage point increase from the previous quarter.
Additionally, the working population ratio (WPR) in urban areas rose to 46.9% during Q4FY24, with males comprising 69.8% and females 23.4% of the working population. This is an improvement compared to the WPR in the same period last year.
It’s noteworthy that while male unemployment rates in urban areas experienced slight fluctuations over the past year, female unemployment rates gradually declined. Specifically, male unemployment rates ranged from 6% to 6.1% during the mentioned quarters, while female unemployment rates ranged from 8.5% to 9.2%.
The survey, conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), covered 44,598 urban households and approximately 169,459 individuals across the country during the Q4FY24 period.
