Labour force
In August 2026(Q3), the working age population (16 years and above) was estimated to be 8.8 million of whom around 4.8 million were employed, 878 thousand were unemployed, and 3.2 million were out of labour force. The labour force which includes both the employed and unemployed population was 5.6 million. The labour force participation rate was estimated to be 63.9 % which is lower compared to the estimated value in August 2025 (65.8 %). The rate of the population outside labour force increased by 1.9 percentage point compared to August 2025(Q3).
Generally, the labour force participation rate has consistently been higher among male than female. In August 2026 (Q3), the gender gap in labour force participation rate was approximately 17.2 percentage points, and it increased compared to August 2025.
Employment
The employment-to-population ratio (EPR) decreased to 54 % in August 2026 (Q3) from 57% in August 2025 (Q3). The decrease was observed for both males and females (2.8 and 3.4 percentage points respectively). In August 2026 (Q3), the EPR remained higher among males (63.3%) than females (45.6 %). The gender gap in the employment-to-population ratio was 17.7 percentage points in August 2026 (Q3) and slightly increased compared to August 2025 (Q3). Additionally, the EPR was higher among adults aged 31 years and above (54.8 %) than among youth aged 16-30 years (52.8 %).
Unemployment
In August 2026(Q3), the unemployment rate was 15.6 % indicating roughly one unemployed person for every seven persons in the labour force. This rate has increased by 2.2 percentage points compared to August 2025 (Q3). The unemployment rate was higher among females (18.3 %) compared to males (13.3 %). Furthermore, youth experienced a higher unemployment rate (18.8 %) compared to adults (13.1 %). The unemployment rate was high in rural areas (16%) than urban (14.8 %).
The gender gap in unemployment rate was 5 percentage points in August 2026 (Q3) and remained stable compared to August 2025.
Labour underutilisation
The unemployment rate alone does not fully reflect unmet employment needs. A more complete assessment requires consideration of other components, such as time-related underemployment and potential labour force.
The labour underutilization rate stood at 61.8 % in August 2026 (Q3). This rate was higher among females (68.6 %) than among males (54.7 %) and was higher among youth (63.1 %) and adults (60.7 %). The labour underutilization rate increased by 5.1 percentage points in August 2026 (Q3) compared to August 2025 (Q3).