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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesMore women accounted for a larger share of India’s regular wage and salaried workers in 2025 than in 2024, but average monthly earnings remained lower for women than men. The latest government figures show a recent improvement—not an uninterrupted long-term rise—and the earnings averages do not reveal whether women and men doing comparable work are paid differently.
What changed in 2025?
The Government of India’s highlights for the 2025 Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report that women made up 18.2% of workers in regular wage or salaried employment in 2025, up from 16.6% in 2024. Men’s share rose from 25.4% to 26.5% over the same comparison. These are distributions of workers by employment status, not the percentage of all women or all men in India who have salaried jobs. Government of India, PLFS Annual Report 2025 highlights
| Share of workers in regular wage/salaried employment | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Women | 16.6% | 18.2% |
| Men | 25.4% | 26.5% |
The figures indicate a recent rise in women’s share of this employment category. They do not show that the longer-term trend has consistently moved upward: the Economic Survey 2024–25, drawing on the Annual PLFS Report 2023–24, records a decline in women’s share of regular wage/salaried work from 21.0% in 2017–18 to 15.9% in 2023–24. Ministry of Finance, Economic Survey 2024–25, Chapter 12
The same Economic Survey chart reports that women’s share of self-employment reached 67.4% in 2023–24. That figure describes a different employment category; it should not be read as a salaried-work rate or as a direct explanation for the later PLFS change.
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How large was the average earnings difference?
In the 2025 PLFS highlights, average nominal monthly earnings in regular wage/salaried work were ₹18,353 for women and ₹24,217 for men. The difference was ₹5,864 per month. Women’s average was about 24.2% below men’s, calculated against the male average. These are nominal averages, not inflation-adjusted or hourly pay comparisons. Government of India, PLFS Annual Report 2025 highlights
| Average nominal monthly earnings in regular wage/salaried work | 2024 | 2025 | 2024–25 nominal growth |
|---|---|---|---|
| Women | ₹17,126 | ₹18,353 | about 7.2% |
| Men | ₹22,891 | ₹24,217 | about 5.8% |
| Difference between men’s and women’s averages | ₹5,765 | ₹5,864 | — |
The comparison shows why “the gap narrowed” needs a measure attached to it. Women’s average earnings grew faster in percentage terms from 2024 to 2025, and their average rose relative to men’s: the shortfall fell from about 25.2% of men’s average in 2024 to about 24.2% in 2025. Yet the nominal rupee difference increased by ₹99, from ₹5,765 to ₹5,864. Percentage growth, proportional difference and rupee difference describe different things.
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Does the average gap prove unequal pay for equal work?
No. The PLFS averages are descriptive, unadjusted comparisons. They do not isolate workers with the same occupation, hours, education, experience or location, and they are not an estimate of the pay difference between women and men doing comparable work.
The World Bank’s India Country Economic Memorandum 2024 says that women’s average earnings are lower across regular wage/salaried and self-employed categories, while also describing variation by sector. It notes that urban women in modern market services may earn as much as or more than male counterparts, while women in several other sectors earn less on average. This is sectoral context based on older data, not a current, all-India adjusted pay-gap estimate. World Bank, India Country Economic Memorandum 2024, Chapter 4
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Why do some sources report different salaried-work percentages?
Employment shares can use different denominators and estimation methods. The PLFS figures above show women’s share of all workers in regular wage/salaried employment. By contrast, the World Bank’s 2026 India Gender Data Landscape reports modeled ILO estimates of wage and salaried workers as a share of female employment: 21.2% for women and 26.7% for men. Those estimates are not the same statistic as the PLFS worker-distribution figures, so the percentages should not be compared as if they measured one identical trend. World Bank, India Gender Data Landscape — 2026 edition
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the figures do—and do not—tell workers
Together, the latest government figures show a rebound in women’s share of regular wage/salaried employment in 2025 after a decline through 2023–24, alongside lower average nominal monthly earnings for women than men. They do not establish why the share rose, whether the new jobs represent better job quality, or how much of the earnings difference remains after comparing workers with similar roles and circumstances.
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