Employment
The employment-to-population ratio (EPR) increased to 53.8 % in May 2025 (Q2) from 52.0 % in May 2024 (Q2). EPR increased for both males and females, by 1.3 and 2.2 percentage points respectively.
Unemployment
In May 2025 (Q2), 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 3.4 percentage points decrease compared to the same quarter one year back; and it was relatively lower as compared to the pre-COVID-19 estimate in the same quarter May 2019 (15.0 %).
Labour underutilization
The labour underutilization rate stood at 57.1 % in May 2025 (Q2). It was higher among females (64.3 %) than among males (49.5 %) and slightly higher among youth (57.2 %) than adults (57.0 %). The labour underutilization rate increased by 3.2 percentage points in May 2025 (Q2) as compared to the same quarter of the previous year.