Global Job Market updates in the US and India, 2025

Global Job Market updates
 In the US and India, 2025

Global Job Market updates in the US and India, 2025. The global job market continues with both positive and cautionary signals emerging from two of the world's largest economies, the United States and India.

US Job Growth Outperforms Expectations in May 2025. Amid economic uncertainty, the United States added 139,000 jobs in May 2025, beating the expectations of 126,000 new jobs. This performance reflects resilience in the labour market.

Unemployment remained steady at 4.2%, which marks the 13th straight month where the US unemployment rate has stayed at or above 4%.

INDIA JOB MARKET UPDATES:

India’s Formal Job Market Sees Record Additions Despite Structural Hurdles.

India is experiencing robust formal job growth, primarily reflected in data from the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO).

As of February 2025, 16.10 lakh net members were added to the EPFO despite a decline in the new establishment registrations, showing a 3.99% increase from the previous year.

For the fiscal year 2024-25, net formal job creation hit 1.32 crore (13.2 million), surpassing the 1.31 crore net jobs created in the 2023-24 fiscal year. This data signals a move toward more structured employment in India, even if the foundation of new businesses remains under strain.

India’s Unemployment Rate at 5.1% in April 2025

For the first time, India released monthly unemployment statistics via the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS). According to the April 2025 report, the country’s unemployment rate stood at 5.1%.

Although this figure may seem moderate, it also highlights the challenge of matching the pace of job creation with the country's growing working-age population.

In Summary:

The US labour market remains surprisingly resilient, but caution looms.

India is showing structural progress in job formalisation, though unemployment remains a challenge.

Both countries face different pressures, the US from economic uncertainty and India from demographic and structural employment shifts.