2 weeks ago
Jobless rate slips to four-month low of 5.1% in July
Every month, India's statistics office asks lots of people whether they have jobs.
In July, the number of grown-ups who wanted work but couldn't find it went down a little.
The jobless rate fell to 5.1%, which means about 5 out of every 100 workers were without jobs.
That was the lowest rate in four months.
Most of the improvement happened in villages, where more people found work.
In cities, the jobless rate stayed about the same.
More men found jobs, but for women in cities it got a little harder.
Also, more people overall joined the workforce or started looking for work.
This was a good change because the rate had been going up in the months before.
The government uses this survey to understand how the country's jobs are doing.
India's unemployment rate for people aged 15 and above fell to 5.1% in July 2026, down from 5.5% in June, the lowest in four months.
Rural unemployment dropped to 4.5% in July from 5% in June, driving the overall decline, while urban unemployment was broadly unchanged at 6.7%.
Urban unemployment improved year-on-year, falling to 6.7% in July 2026 from 7.2% in July 2025.
The April-June quarter unemployment rate rose to 5.4%, the highest level in a year, compared with 5% in the preceding quarter.
The Labour Force Participation Rate rose to 55.4% in July from 54.4% in June, reversing a decline seen between March and May.
- Who
- People aged 15 years and above in India, as measured by the National Statistics Office's Periodic Labour Force Survey
- What
- The unemployment rate fell to 5.1% in July 2026, a four-month low, driven by improved rural employment
- Where
- India, covering rural and urban areas
- When
- July 2026; the bulletin was released on Monday
- Why
- The decline was driven largely by an improvement in rural employment conditions
Key facts
- Overall unemployment rate (July 2026)
- 5.1%
- Unemployment rate (June 2026)
- 5.5%
- Rural unemployment rate (July)
- 4.5%
- Urban unemployment rate (July)
- 6.7%
- April-June quarter unemployment rate
- 5.4% (highest in a year)
- Labour Force Participation Rate (July)
- 55.4%
- Data source
- Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), National Statistics Office
- Survey sample size
- 371,021 people









