Unemployment rate at 4.8% in December

India’s unemployment rate was 4.8% in December, according to the monthly Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Thursday, almost the same as the 4.7% reading in November and the second lowest in the nine months beginning April 2025.

- Abhishek Jha

Because unemployment rates are likely to be affected by seasonal factors, and we do not have full-year data in the monthly series yet, it is difficult to ascertain whether the sequential changes in unemployment rate suggest an improvement or worsening in labour market conditions.