Key Highlights from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2025

Wage Growth

• Wages for women increased more rapidly than for men across all job categories in 2025.
• Female wage growth was as follows: 
  • Salaried jobs: 7.2%
  • Self-employment: 8.8%
  • Casual labour: 5.4%
• Male wage growth: 
  • Salaried jobs: 5.8%
  • Self-employment: 8%
  • Casual labour saw a decline of 0.2%

Income Inequality

• Women earned less than men in all categories in 2025: 
  • Salaried jobs: Women earned 76% of men's earnings.
  • Casual labour: Women earned 69% of men's earnings, up from 66% in 2024.
  • Self-employment: Women earned only 36% of men's earnings.

Employment Trends

• Increase in women's participation in salaried jobs from 16.6% in 2024 to 18.2% in 2025.
• Self-employment for women declined to 64.2% from 66.5%.
• Casual labour participation increased to 17.6% from 16.9%.
• Overall salaried employment at the national level rose to 23.6% from 22.4% in 2024.

Informal Sector Insights

• Informal sector pay rose by only 3.9% in 2025, a decline from a 13% increase in 2023-24.
• Establishment growth slowed, with only 58.5 lakh new establishments compared to 83.5 lakh in 2023-24.
• Job creation in the informal sector was 74.5 lakh for 2025, down from 1.1 crore the previous year.

Unemployment and Labour Force Participation

• Rural unemployment decreased to 2.4% in 2025 from 2.5% in 2024.
• Urban unemployment reduced to 4.8% from 5%.
• Rural Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) slightly declined to 62.8%.
• Urban LFPR remained steady at 52.2%.
• Youth unemployment (ages 15-29) decreased to 9.9%, though female youth unemployment rose slightly to 11.3%.

Labour Force Estimation

• Using projected population data, an estimated 61.6 crore people (aged 15 and above) were employed in usual status in 2025.
• Gender distribution: 
  • Males: 41.6 crore
  • Females: 20 crore
• Usual status (ps+ss) measures include those employed or available for work for a significant part of the year.