# India urban joblessness ticks up, labour participation hits five-quarter low 2026-08-13T03:44:39+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet India's urban unemployment rate inched up to 6.7 per cent in April-June from 6.6 per cent in the previous quarter, while rural unemployment rose to 4.8 per cent from 4.3 per cent, the Ministry of Statistics said on Monday, citing the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey. The overall labour force participation rate (LFPR) fell to 54.6 per cent, a five-quarter low, from 55.5 per cent, with female participation dropping sharply to 33.2 per cent from 34.7 per cent. The worker population ratio also slipped to 51.7 per cent from 52.8 per cent. The data, based on a survey of 5.6 lakh people, showed a shift away from agriculture in rural areas: farm employment's share fell to 52.9 per cent from 55.8 per cent, while regular wage work inched up. Urban female unemployment improved to 8.7 per cent from 9.1 per cent. On average, 56.6 crore people aged 15 and above were employed in the quarter, including 16.4 crore women. ## Coverage - rediff.com Tags: government data, labour participation, PLFS, rural employment, unemployment, women workers Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/india-urban-joblessness-ticks-up-labour-participation-hits-five-quarter-low/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/india-urban-joblessness-ticks-up-labour-participation-hits-five-quarter-low/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.