The labour force constituted 60 percent of the working age population in November 2023(Q4). It increased by 1.3 percent as compared to November 2022(Q4) and remained almost the same as compared to the previous quarter August 2023(Q3).
In November 2023 (Q4), the working age population (16 years and above) was around 8.1 million of whom 4,074,629 were employed, 825,577 were unemployed, and 3,263,040 were out of labour force. The sum of employed and unemployed population gives the population in labour force equivalent to 4,900,206 persons.
Labour force participation rate by sex in Q4, 2023 
The proportion of working age population who were in the labour force increased to 60 percent in November 2023 (Q4) compared to 58.7 percent in November 2022(Q4). The proportion of the working age population outside the labour force decreased to 40 percent in November 2023(Q4) as compared to 41.3 percent in November 2022(Q4).
In November 2023(Q4), the labour force participation rate among youth aged 16 to 30 years was 57.3 percent. It significantly increased by 3.3 percentage points as compared to the same quarter one year back (November 2022) while it remained stable in higher age groups depicted in the graph below in the same period.