Gender Pay Gap Persists Despite Women's Earnings Growth in 2025
Overview of Earnings Growth
In 2025, women's earnings outpaced men's across various job sectors, yet a significant gender pay gap continues to exist, according to the latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) published by the government. Women's incomes surged by 8.8%, slightly exceeding the 8% increase seen in men's earnings across multiple employment categories. Despite this progress, the overall earnings disparity remains substantial. Data from the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) indicates that women's salaries grew by 7.2% year-on-year (Y-o-Y) compared to 5.8% for men in salaried positions. In self-employment, women's earnings rose by 8.8%, while men's increased by 8%. In the casual labor sector, women's earnings improved slightly, although men's incomes saw a minor decline of 0.2%. In salaried roles, women earned approximately 76% of men's income in 2025, a figure that has remained relatively stable in recent years. The gap is most pronounced in self-employment, where women earn only 36% of what men make, while in casual labor, women earn about 69% of male wages, a slight improvement from 66% in 2024.
Trends in Employment
Shift towards Salaried Employment A notable trend in 2025 is the gradual transition towards salaried positions. According to MoSPI data, the proportion of women in salaried jobs increased to 18.2% in 2025, up from 16.6% in 2024, while the percentage of women in self-employment decreased to 64.2% from 66.5%. Participation in casual labor saw a slight rise to 17.6%. Overall, the share of salaried employment for both genders rose to 23.6% of total employment, compared to 22.4% the previous year, indicating a modest enhancement in job quality. The survey also revealed broader labor market trends, noting a slight decline in rural unemployment to 2.4% in 2025 from 2.5% in 2024, and urban unemployment decreased to 4.8% from 5%. Youth unemployment (ages 15–29) fell to 9.9%, although female youth unemployment increased to 11.3%. On average, 616 million individuals aged 15 and older were employed in 2025, with 416 million being men and 200 million women.