NEW DELHI, India, October 15 (ANI) — Unemployment among urban youth ages 15–29 rose to 19% in September 2026, with the rate among young women reaching 26.6%, according to government data released Thursday.
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), in its Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) monthly bulletin for September 2026, reported that urban youth unemployment increased from 18.7% in August to 19% in September, continuing an upward trend since May, when it stood at 17.5%.
Among young urban women, unemployment increased from 26.4% to 26.6%, while the rate among young urban men rose from 16.2% to 16.4%.
At the national level, youth unemployment edged up from 15.1% to 15.2%, while rural youth unemployment declined marginally from 13.3% to 13.2%.
While urban youth unemployment rose, overall urban workforce participation among people ages 15 and older improved in September.
“Urban workforce participation strengthened across genders,” the ministry said in its official press release.
The urban Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures the proportion of people who are employed, increased from 47% in August to 47.2% in September, its highest level since October 2025.
Urban female labor force participation also increased from 25.4% to 25.9%, reaching its highest level since October 2025.
The ministry stated, “Urban female LFPR recorded a notable month-on-month increase of 0.5 percentage points, rising from 25.4% to 25.9% and reaching its highest level since October 2025.”
However, unemployment among urban women ages 15 and older also increased from 8.9% to 9.2%.
Meanwhile, India’s overall unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5% in September compared with August, although it declined from 5.2% a year earlier.
“Overall UR (15+ years) remained stable at 5.0% in September 2026, down by 0.2 percentage points from September 2025,” the ministry said.
Urban unemployment rose marginally from 6.8% to 6.9%, while rural unemployment increased from 4.1% to 4.2%.
The September PLFS estimates are based on a survey of 370,513 people across rural and urban India. (ANI)
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