About 17 crore new jobs have been created in India in six years. According to the new data of the Ministry of Labor and Employment, total employment in the country increased from 47.5 crore in 2017-18 to 64.33 crore in 2023-24. 16.83 crore new jobs have been added in different sectors.
Apart from thisemploymentThe rate has declined by about 50 percent. It decreased from 6 percent in 2017-18 to 3.2 percent in 2023-24. The number of women in the workforce has also increased significantly.
What are employment indicators?
Major employment indicators in the country are continuously improving. Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) and Worker-Population Ratio (WPR) have registered an increase in both rural and urban areas.
Between 2017-18 and 2023-24, the LFPR for those aged 15 and above increased from 49.8 per cent to 60.1 per cent, while the WPR increased from 46.8 per cent to 58.2 per cent, meaning more people are joining the workforce.
According to the monthly data of Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS) from June to August 2025, LFPR increased from 54.2 percent in June to 55 percent in August. During this period, WPR also increased from 51.2 percent to 52.2 percent.
women’s participation
Women are also contributing to employment growth. Official data revealed that their LFPR increased from 23.3 percent in 2017-18 to 41.7 percent in 2023-24. During this period, women’s WPR increased from 22 percent to 40.3 percent.
PLFS figures also show improvement in 2025. This year, women’s WPR increased from 30.2 percent in June to 32 percent in August 2025 and during the same period, women’s LFPR increased from 32 percent to 33.7 percent.
During 2024-25, 26.9 lakh women joined the Employee Provident Fund Organization (EPFO), of which about 2.80 lakh joined in July 2025 alone. The total salary also increased by about Rs 4.42 lakh.
Growing popularity of provident fund
Employment is now becoming increasingly formal. Since the start of payroll tracking in September 2017, more than 7.73 crore people have joined EPFO. Total subscribers have increased from 61.12 lakh in 2018-19 to more than 1.29 crore in 2024-25. In July 2025 alone, a total of 21.04 lakh subscribers were added, including 9.79 lakh new ones. Of these, 60 percent were between 18 and 25 years of age.
Wages also increased during the same period. The average daily wage of casual labourers, excluding public works, increased from Rs 294 in July-September 2017 to Rs 433 in April-June 2024. During this period, the average monthly income of regular salary employees increased from Rs 16,538 to Rs 21,103.
decreasing unemployment rate
The unemployment rate in India is continuously decreasing. It was 6 percent in 2017-18, which came down to 3.2 percent in 2023-24. During this period, youth unemployment also declined by seven percent from 17.8 percent to 10.2 percent. Whereas according to International Labor Organization (ILO) data for the year 2024, the global average unemployment rate is 13.3 percent.
Compared to April 2025, the unemployment rate among males above 15 years of age has decreased further in August. Male unemployment in cities declined from 6.6 percent in July 2025 to 5.9 percent in August, while the unemployment rate for rural men declined less during this period. However, total rural unemployment has been decreasing continuously for three months. It was 5.1 percent in May and increased to 4.3 percent in August.
Changing nature of employment and regional changes
There has been an increase in self-employment in these six years. It has increased from 52.2 percent in 2017-18 to 58.4 percent in 2023-24. However, casual labor decreased from 24.9 percent to 19.8 percent. This reflects the trend of entrepreneurship and self-reliance.
Area-based data for April-June 2025 shows that even today 44.6 percent of men and 70.9 percent of women in the village are employed in the agriculture sector. Whereas in urban areas the tertiary sector provides maximum jobs. 60.6 percent men and 64.9 percent women work in it.
During this period, a total of 56.4 crore people aged 15 years and above (including 39.7 crore males and 16.7 crore females) were working.
Special schemes for women
The central government has started schemes like Namo Drone Didi, Lakhpati Didi and Mission Shakti for women. To empower rural women in areas like agriculture, insurance, finance and animal management, employment was provided under schemes like Krishi Sakhi, Bima Sakhi, Bank Sakhi and Pashu Sakhi.
To support women entrepreneurs, the government has started many schemes to provide easy loans, market support and skill development and guidance for them. These include PM Employment Guarantee Programme, Sankalp (SANKALP), PM Micro Food-Processing Scheme, Tribal Women Empowerment Scheme, Swayam Shakti Sahakar Yojana and DAY-NRLM etc.
Apart from this, emphasis is being laid on women’s participation in areas like science, research, technology and innovation through programs like Women in Science and Engineering (WISE-KIRAN) and SERB-POWER.
Big role of startups and GCC
Startups, gig economy and Global Capability Centers (GCCs) are shaping the future of India’s emerging workforce in the labor market. India is the third largest startup ecosystem in the world with 1.9 lakh DPIIT-recognized startups by 2025, according to official data. These startups have created more than 17 lakh jobs and created 118 unicorns in the digital, financial and technology sectors.
Gig workforce may also increase from 1 crore in 2024-25 to 2.35 crore by 2029-30. Gig workers are people who work on contract, gig economy connects such people with customers or companies through online platforms. Freelancers also fall in this category. The government has launched Code on Social Security and e-Shram portal for them in 2020. By September 30, 2025, more than 31.20 crore gig workers have registered on the e-Shram portal.
GCCs adopting advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and Cyber Security are starting in India. Presently 1,700 GCCs are providing jobs to 20 lakh people.
Digital and sustainable development of jobs
In Indian employment, attention is being given to three priorities – development of digitally skilled workforce, participation of all in the market and making the system sustainable. For this, plans are underway for public-private partnership, targeted government schemes and investment in skill development.
Continuous attention is being given to areas like renewable energy, digital services and research and development. With this, India’s workforce will be able to meet both domestic employment needs and global trends.
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