In August 2023 (Q3), the working age population (16 years and above) was around 8.1million of whom 3,972,193 were employed, 874,876 were unemployed, and 3,253,361 were out of labour force. The sum of employed and unemployed population gives the population in labour force equivalent to 4,847,069 persons.
The proportion of working age population who were in the labour force increased to 59.8 percent in August 2023 (Q3) compared to 54.3 percent in August 2022(Q2). The proportion of the working age population outside the labour force decreased to 40.2 percent in August 2023(Q3) as compared to 43.4 percent in August 2022(Q3) .
Labour force participation rate by area of residence 
Labour force participation rate by area of residence (urban and rural) was revealed to be high in urban areas compared to rural areas. This may be attributed to the diversity of job opportunities in urban areas as compared to rural areas where the number of employment opportunities is limited, and most people are involved in subsistence agriculture.
The share of subsistence agriculture in population outside labour force was 37.6 percent in August 2023(Q3). It decreased by 2.0 percentage points as compared to 39.6 percent observed in August 2022(Q3). T
In August 2023 (Q3), the number of employed populations increased by about 260,939 persons as compared to the same quarter one year back (August 2022) indicating an increase of 7.1 percent.