NEW DELHI: The urban unemployment rate has come down to 6.4% in the July-September 2024 quarter compared to 6.6% in the previous quarter, according to the government. This is the lowest unemployment rate recorded in the recent past. In the year-ago period, the unemployment rate was 6.6%.
The latest data released by the Ministry of Statistics and Program Implementation (Mospi) show urban unemployment among men has come down to 5.7%, while that among women has come down to 8.4% during the quarter. In the April-June quarter, urban unemployment rates among male and females were 5.8% and 9%, respectively.
The unemployment rate is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labour force. The labour force participation rate (LFPR) has also improved to 50.4% during the quarter against 50.1% in the previous quarter and 49.3% in the July-September quarter last year. The women’s participation in the labour force remained steady at 25.5% in the July-September quarter against 25.2% in the previous quarter.
LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in the labour force, that is, those working or seeking or available for work in the population. The worker population rate (WPR) in urban areas was 47.2% in July-September 2024 for persons of age 15 years in above. For male, it was 70.7% in July-September 2024, for females, it was 23.4% during this period.