Female Workforce Participation Rises to 27.2% in Million-Plus Cities
The National Statistics Office (NSO) has released data showing that female labour force participation in Indian cities with a population of over 10 lakh increased to 27.2% in 2025, up from 19.8% in 2017-18. This marks a significant rise in women's engagement in the labour market over the past seven years.
Steady Improvement in Female Employment
The data also reveals an improvement in female employment, with the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for women in these cities rising to 25.5%. This indicates that a larger share of women is employed compared to previous years. The NSO report stated, "As India advances towards the vision of Viksit Bharat, its cities are increasingly emerging as vital centres of economic activity, innovation and employment generation. A deeper understanding of the economic structure and dynamics of the cities assumes increasing importance for informed policymaking, efficient resource allocation and evidence-based governance."
Overall Labour Force Participation and Unemployment Trends
Overall labour force participation in million-plus cities also improved. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in usual status increased to 52.4% in 2025, up from 50.4% in 2021-22 and 47.7% in 2017-18. The unemployment rate in these cities stood at 4.9% under the usual status approach and 6.8% under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach, compared with 4.8% and 6.8% respectively for urban India overall.
Male Unemployment Declines
Among men, unemployment declined steadily over the years. The male unemployment rate fell to 4.5% in 2025 from 7.5% in 2017-18. The report also examined reasons for people staying out of the labour force. Among males, 53.5% cited continuing studies as the main reason for not participating in the labour market. Among females, 68.7% cited childcare and personal commitments related to homemaking as the primary reason.
Earnings Higher in Million-Plus Cities
The NSO data further showed that earnings in million-plus cities remained higher than the urban India average across employment categories. Average monthly earnings for self-employed workers stood at Rs 30,858 compared with Rs 23,013 in urban India. Regular salaried employees earned an average of Rs 28,808 per month compared with Rs 26,258 in urban India, while casual labourers earned Rs 624 per day against Rs 550 nationally.
Youth NEET Rate Lower in Million-Plus Cities
The report also noted that the share of youth aged 15-29 years who were not in employment, education or training (NEET) was lower in million-plus cities at 22.2% compared with 25.0% for urban India. This suggests that larger cities offer better opportunities for youth engagement.
