A. Introduction

The Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI) released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Monthly Bulletin for August 2026. Conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO), the survey provides monthly and quarterly estimates of labour force indicators following the Current Weekly Status (CWS) approach. For persons aged 15 years and above, the overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) rose to 55.6% in August 2026 from 55.4% in July 2026. The overall Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased to 52.8%, while the overall Unemployment Rate (UR) remained stable at 5.0%. Notably, rural areas observed a decline in the Unemployment Rate to 4.1%, alongside an upward momentum in female LFPR, which reached 34.8% overall.