According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the urban labor participation rate for individuals aged 15 and above stood at 50.2% during the January-March 2024 period, showing an increase from 48.5% in the same period of 2023.
For the age group of 15 to 29 years, the labor force participation rate rose to 40.7%, up from 39.4% a year earlier. Across all age brackets, the overall labor force participation rate was 39.5% compared to 38.1% in January-March 2023. Moreover, the female labor force participation rate saw a slight uptick, reaching 25.6% from 22.7% for women aged 15 and above. Across all age groups, the female labor force participation rate was 20.3% in January-March 2024, compared to 18% in the same period last year. Among women aged 15 to 29, the participation rate was 21.3%, up from 19.3% last year.
Regarding unemployment rates in urban areas, the PLFS reported a rate of 6.7%, lower than the 6.8% recorded in January-March 2023 but slightly higher than the 6.5% observed in October-December. For the age group of 15-29, the unemployment rate stood at 17%, compared to 17.3% in January-March 2023.
Unemployment among women of all ages decreased to 8.4% from 9.2% a year earlier, and among women aged 15 and above, it dropped to 8.5% from 9.2% in January-March 2023.