India's Unemployment Rate Drops to 7.6 percent in Urban Areas in Q1, yet more Women than Men are Unemployed

By: WE Staff | Friday, 2 September 2022

According to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, the unemployment rate decreased to 7.6% from 12.6% in the same period last year (MoSPI). However, at 9.5% and 7.1%, respectively, the unemployment rate for women in urban areas is still higher than the rate for men in the current week.

Between April and June 2021, the unemployment rate was 12.6%, with men experiencing 12.2% and women 14.3% of the total. Between July and September 2021, the unemployment rate was 9.8%, with men experiencing a rate of 9.3% and women experiencing a rate of 11.6%.

In the period from October to December 2021, the unemployment rate decreased further to 8.7%, with men's rates at 8.3% and women's rates at 10.5%. In the final three months of FY22, from January to March, the unemployment rate was 8.2%, with men experiencing 7.7% and women 10.1%.

According to the National Statistical Office's Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in its present weekly status improved to 47.5% in April–June this year from 46.8% in the same period last year.

Following that, it went up to 46.9% in the quarter ending in July-September and 47.3% in the quarter ending in October-December. In the quarter between January and March, it stayed at 47.4%.

There was a considerable disparity in participation rates between males (73.5%) and women when it came to LFPR in metropolitan areas (20.9 per cent). In the quarter from July to September, the LFPR for women fell to 19.9% while it was 73.5% for men.

In April through June of this year, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) rose to 43.9% from 40.9% in the corresponding period of prior year. The WPR increased to 42.3% in the quarter of July to September, then to 43.2% in the quarter of October to December, and finally to 43.4% in the quarter of January to March.