Work & Livelihood in West Bengal
Who works in West Bengal, in which industries, and how women's and men's days divide between paid and unpaid work, from the national labour force and time use surveys.
In 2025, 59.1% of West Bengal residents aged 15 and above were in the labour force (India 59.3%) and 2.8% of them were unemployed (India 3.1%). Women's participation was 37.5%, against 82.3% for men. Agriculture employs 37.1% of workers (India 43%) and manufacturing 17.3% (India 12.1%). 2.64 crore workers from the state are on the e-Shram register, rank 3 among states. Women spend 288 minutes a day on unpaid domestic and care work for their households, men 40.
Key figures & data tables
In the PLFS annual report for 2025 (January-December 2025), West Bengal’s labour force participation rate for persons aged 15 and above was 59.1% (61.7% rural, 53.5% urban), against 59.3% for India. The worker population ratio was 57.4% (India 57.4%) and the unemployment rate 2.8% (India 3.1%), with 2.4% in rural areas and 3.9% in urban areas. Women’s participation was 37.5%, against 82.3% for men and 40% for women across India.
The state’s LFPR was 50.1% in 2017-18. PLFS was redesigned from January 2025 and moved from a July-June to a January-December cycle. MoSPI asks users to keep the changes in mind when comparing 2025 with earlier reports.
By industry, agriculture employed 37.1% of West Bengal's workers (India 43%), industry employed 29.2% of West Bengal's workers (India 25.1%), services employed 33.6% of West Bengal's workers (India 31.9%) in 2025. Manufacturing alone was 17.3% (India 12.1%).
On 19-12-2024, 2,64,06,322 unorganised workers from West Bengal were registered on e-Shram, 8.66% of the national 30,48,02,313, ranking 3 among states after Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.
In the Time Use Survey 2024, women in West Bengal spent 288 minutes a day on unpaid domestic and caregiving work for household members, and men 40 minutes. Across India the figures were 283 and 37 minutes.
MGNREGA: the Ministry of Rural Development’s MIS shows 37,825 person-days for 8,082 households in West Bengal in 2026-2027, up to 12-11-2026. The MIS returns no West Bengal rows for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, and a total of zero for 2025-26. Reporting units are MGNREGA district units: they include the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad and do not include Kolkata or Darjeeling.
The rows behind the charts above — 7 tables
›Labour force participation, worker population ratio and unemployment by state, 2025(9 rows)
LFPR is the share of people in the labour force (working or seeking work). WPR is the share employed. The unemployment rate is the share of the labour force without work. All figures are for persons aged 15 and above in usual status (principal plus subsidiary activity). Source: PLFS Annual Report 2025, Appendix A Tables 16-18 (15 years and above, usual status ps+ss); PDF pages 144, 149, 154
| State | LFPR (%) | WPR (%) | Unemployment (%) | Women's LFPR (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Bengal | 59.1 | 57.4 | 2.8 | 37.5 |
| Kerala | 57.4 | 54.9 | 4.4 | 41.2 |
| Tamil Nadu | 62.3 | 60.1 | 3.4 | 47.3 |
| Karnataka | 59.4 | 58 | 2.3 | 39.8 |
| Maharashtra | 59.5 | 58 | 2.4 | 39.9 |
| Gujarat | 65.2 | 64.6 | 0.9 | 46.2 |
| Odisha | 63.2 | 61.3 | 2.9 | 47.3 |
| Bihar | 49.3 | 47.4 | 3.8 | 24.7 |
| India | 59.3 | 57.4 | 3.1 | 40 |
›West Bengal and India labour force indicators by PLFS report(8 rows)
PLFS was redesigned from January 2025 and moved from a July-June to a January-December cycle. MoSPI asks users to keep the changes in mind when comparing 2025 with earlier reports.
| Report | WB LFPR (%) | WB WPR (%) | WB unemployment (%) | India LFPR (%) | India WPR (%) | India unemployment (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017-18 | 50.1 | 47.8 | 4.6 | 49.8 | 46.8 | 6 |
| 2018-19 | 51.6 | 49.7 | 3.8 | 50.2 | 47.3 | 5.8 |
| 2019-20 | 52.1 | 49.7 | 4.6 | 53.5 | 50.9 | 4.8 |
| 2020-21 | 54.9 | 53 | 3.5 | 54.9 | 52.6 | 4.2 |
| 2021-22 | 54.6 | 52.7 | 3.4 | 55.2 | 52.9 | 4.1 |
| 2022-23 | 57.3 | 56.1 | 2.2 | 57.9 | 56 | 3.2 |
| 2023-24 | 61.1 | 59.6 | 2.5 | 60.1 | 58.2 | 3.2 |
| 2025 | 59.1 | 57.4 | 2.8 | 59.3 | 57.4 | 3.1 |
›Workers by industry, West Bengal and India, 2025(9 rows)
Industry is NIC-2008 sections B to F (mining, manufacturing, utilities, construction). Services are sections G to T. Source: PLFS Annual Report 2025, Appendix A Table 27 (usually working persons, ps+ss, by NIC-2008 section, rural+urban persons), PDF page 256
| Industry | West Bengal (%) | India (%) |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, forestry and fishing | 37.1 | 43 |
| Manufacturing | 17.3 | 12.1 |
| Construction | 11.2 | 12 |
| Mining, electricity, gas and water | 0.7 | 0.9 |
| Trade, transport, hotels and restaurants | 18.3 | 17.4 |
| Other services | 15.4 | 14.5 |
| Agriculture (broad) | 37.1 | 43 |
| Industry (broad) | 29.2 | 25.1 |
| Services (broad) | 33.6 | 31.9 |
›e-Shram registrations, top states, as on 19-12-2024(8 rows)
The state rows in the annexure add to 30,49,02,313, one lakh more than the total printed in the same document. Shares use the printed total. Source: PIB backgrounder, E-Shram Portal: World's Largest Database of Unorganised Workers (Ministry of Labour and Employment, 19 December 2024), state annexure
| Rank | State | Registrations |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Uttar Pradesh | 8,37,45,287 |
| 2 | Bihar | 2,95,88,748 |
| 3 | West Bengal | 2,64,06,322 |
| 4 | Madhya Pradesh | 1,84,48,886 |
| 5 | Maharashtra | 1,73,33,185 |
| 6 | Rajasthan | 1,42,87,908 |
| 7 | Odisha | 1,35,40,435 |
| 8 | Gujarat | 1,18,86,961 |
›Time use by activity and gender, West Bengal and India, 2024 (minutes per day per person aged 6+)(9 rows)
TUS 2024 ran from January to December 2024. Figures are average minutes per day per person aged 6 and above, counting every activity in a time slot, so activities can overlap and the total can exceed 1,440 minutes. Source: Time Use in India 2024 (NSO, MoSPI, March 2025), Statement 7.1: minutes spent in a day on an average per person of age 6 years and above, all activities in a time slot, rural+urban
| Activity | WB women | WB men | India women | India men |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Employment and related activities | 56 | 296 | 71 | 287 |
| Production of goods for own final use | 20 | 11 | 21 | 18 |
| Unpaid domestic services for household members | 240 | 30 | 236 | 24 |
| Unpaid caregiving services for household members | 48 | 10 | 47 | 13 |
| Unpaid volunteer, trainee and other unpaid work | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Learning | 81 | 85 | 84 | 94 |
| Socializing and communication, community participation and religious practice | 145 | 135 | 126 | 124 |
| Culture, leisure, mass-media and sports practices | 127 | 151 | 148 | 169 |
| Self-care and maintenance | 721 | 720 | 706 | 710 |
›MGNREGA employment by reporting unit, West Bengal, 2026-2027 (to 12-11-2026)(19 rows)
The MIS returns no West Bengal rows for 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, and a total of zero for 2025-26. Reporting units are MGNREGA district units: they include the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad and do not include Kolkata or Darjeeling. Source: MGNREGA MIS (Ministry of Rural Development), report R5.1.3 Period Wise Employment Provided, State: West Bengal
| Unit | Households employed | Person-days |
|---|---|---|
| Birbhum | 2,137 | 8,782 |
| Bankura | 885 | 4,708 |
| Purulia | 460 | 3,284 |
| Paschim Medinipur | 569 | 2,381 |
| Coochbehar | 420 | 2,287 |
| Nadia | 566 | 2,179 |
| Jalpaiguri | 420 | 2,130 |
| Maldah | 354 | 1,841 |
| Purba Medinipur | 324 | 1,822 |
| Alipurduar | 279 | 1,694 |
| Jhargram | 232 | 1,502 |
| Howrah | 302 | 1,400 |
| Dakshin Dinajpur | 286 | 954 |
| Purba Bardhaman | 286 | 783 |
| Hooghly | 248 | 778 |
| Paschim Bardhaman | 165 | 625 |
| Uttar Dinajpur | 50 | 433 |
| North 24 Parganas | 39 | 140 |
| Siliguri Mahakuma Parisad | 60 | 102 |
›Sources for the figures on this page(6 rows)
| Claim | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|
| WB LFPR 59.1%, WPR 57.4%, unemployment 2.8% (15+, usual status, 2025) | PLFS Annual Report 2025, Appendix A Tables 16-18 | 2025 |
| WB and India LFPR, WPR and unemployment, 2017-18 to 2023-24 | PLFS Annual Reports 2017-18 to 2023-24, Appendix A Tables 16-18 | 2017-2024 |
| Workers by industry, WB and India | PLFS Annual Reports 2023-24 and 2025, Appendix A Table 27 | 2023-24, 2025 |
| MGNREGA 2026-2027: 37,825 person-days to 2026-11-12 | MGNREGA MIS (Ministry of Rural Development), report R5.1.3 Period Wise Employment Provided, State: West Bengal | 2026-2027 |
| e-Shram: WB 26,406,322 registrations, rank 3 | PIB backgrounder, E-Shram Portal: World's Largest Database of Unorganised Workers (Ministry of Labour and Employment, 19 December 2024), state annexure | 2024 |
| Unpaid domestic and care work: WB women 288 min/day, men 40 | Time Use in India 2024, Statement 7.1 | 2024 |