Labour force
In August 2025 (Q3), the working age population (16 years and above) was around 8.6 million of whom around 4.9 million were employed, 754 thousand were unemployed, and 2.9 million were out of labour force.
The labour force comprises 5.6 million people, which includes both the employed and unemployed population. The proportion of working age population who were in the labour force has steadily increased since 2022.
In August 2025, it was estimated to be 65.8 % which is 1.7 percentage points higher than the estimated value observed in August 2024 (64.1%). The rate of the population outside labour force decreased to 34.2 % in August 2025 (Q3) from 35.9 % in August 2024 (Q3).
Generally, the labour force participation rate has been higher among the male than the female population over time. In August 2025 (Q3), the gender gap in labour force participation rate was approximately 16.2 percentage points, it decreased by 1.6 percentage points as compared to the same quarter one year back.
Employment
The employment-to-population ratio (EPR) increased to 57% in August 2025 (Q3), up from 54.3 % in August 2024 (Q3). This increase was observed for both sexes, with males recording a rise of 1.8 percentage points and females a significant increase of 3.6 percentage points.
In August 2025 (Q3), EPR remained higher among males (66.1 %) than females (49 %). The gender gap in the employment to population ratio stood at 17.1 percentage points in August 2025 (Q3) reflecting a slight decline of 1.8 percentage points as compared to August 2024 (Q3).
Additionally, the EPR was higher among adults aged 31 years old and above (57.3 %) compared to youth aged 16-30 years old (56.6%).
Unemployment
In August 2025 (Q3), the unemployment rate stood at 13.4 % indicating that roughly for every 7 persons in the labour force, there was one person unemployed. This reflects a 1.9 percentage points decrease compared to the same quarter one year back; and it was significantly lower as compared to the pre-COVID-19 estimate in the same quarter August 2019 (16 %).
In August 2025 (Q3), the unemployment rate was higher among females (15.9 %) compared to males (11.2 %). Youth also experienced a higher unemployment rate (15.5 %) compared to adults (11.7%). The unemployment was relatively higher in rural areas (14.2 %) than in urban areas (11.8%).
The gender gap in unemployment rate was 4.7 percentage points in August 2025 (Q3), and it decreased by 1.3 percentage points as compared to the same quarter one year back.
Labour underutilisation
The labour underutilization rate stood at 56.7 % in August 2025 (Q3). It was higher among females (64.7 %) than males (48.3 %) and higher among youth (57.8 %) than adults (55.8 %).
The labour underutilization rate decreased by 1.3 percentage points in August 2025 (Q3) as compared to the same quarter of the previous year.