New Delhi, June 15 -- India's unemployment rate for people aged 15 years and above rose to an 11-month high of 5.5% in May, up from 5.2% in April, as joblessness increased in rural areas, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS-M) released by the statistics ministry on Monday.

The rural unemployment rate climbed to 5.1% in May from 4.6% a month earlier, driven by a rise in unemployment among both men and women. In contrast, urban unemployment eased slightly to 6.4% from 6.6% in April. Male unemployment in urban areas remained unchanged at 5.9%, while female unemployment fell to 8.2% from 8.5%.

Compared with May 2025, urban unemployment declined from 6.9% to 6.4%, while rural unemployment was unchanged at 5.1%, the Min...