Labour force
In November 2025 (Q4), the working age population (16 years and above) was estimated to be 8.6 million. Out of this population 4.9 million were employed, 646 thousand were unemployed, and 3.1 million were out of labour force. The labour force which includes both the employed and unemployed population was 5.5 million.
In November 2025 Q4, it was estimated to be 64.1 % which stood stable as compared to the estimated value in November 2024 (64.0%). The rate of the population outside labour force stood stable also to 35.9 % in November 2025 (Q4) compared to 36 % in November 2024 (Q4).
Employment
The employment-to-population ratio (EPR) increased to 56.7 % in November 2025 (Q4), from 54.6 % in November 2024 (Q4). EPR increased among females by 3.3 percentage points while it remained stable among males. In November 2025 (Q4), EPR remained higher among males (63.7 %) than females (50.4 %).
The gender gap in the employment to population ratio was 13.3 percentage points in November 2025 (Q4) reflecting a decline of 2.7 percentage points as compared to November 2024 (Q4). Additionally, the EPR was higher among adults aged 31 years old and above (60%) compared to youth aged 16-30 years old (52.2 %).
Unemployment
In November 2025 (Q4), the unemployment rate was 11.7 % indicating roughly one unemployed person for every for every nine persons in the labour force. This rate represents 3 percentage points decrease compared to the same quarter in 2024; and remains below pre-COVID-19 estimate of 15.4 % recorded in November 2019.
The unemployment rate was higher among females (13 %) compared to males (10.5 %) and youth experience a higher unemployment rate (14.1 %) compared to adults (10 %). The unemployment rate was 12 % in rural and 11 % in urban areas. The gender gap in unemployment rate was 2.5 percentage points in November 2025 (Q4), and it decreased by 2.8 percentage points as compared to the same quarter one year back.
Labour underutilization
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 56.5 % in November 2025 (Q4). It was higher among females (63.4%) than males (49.2 %) and higher among youth (57.1 %) than adults (56.1 %). The labour underutilization rate increased by 1.5 percentage points in November 2025 (Q4) as compared to the same quarter of the previous year.