New Delhi: In wake of rising rural unemployment, the labour markets lost momentum in September this year. According to the monthly periodic labour force survey (PLFS) data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Wednesday (October 15), the unemployment rate in September increased to 5.2% from 5.1% in August.The headline unemployment rate for people above age 15 years and above in the current weekly status (CWS) terms for rural areas increased to 4.6% in September from 4.3% in August, which is the highest since June, reported Business Standard.When it comes to urban areas, the unemployment rate went up to 6.8% in September from 6.7% in August, the data revealed.According to the data, while the unemployment rate for men rose to 5.1% from 5%, this figure for women increased a bit higher to 5.5% from 5.2% in the same time period.The labour force participation rate (LFPR), which is a measure of the number of people either working or looking for work, increased to 55.3% in September from 55% in August.The joblessness among the youth aged between 15 and 29 years increased to 15% from 14.6%.In this age group, the unemployment rate for women remained static at 17.8%, but it increased to 13.9% from 13.5% for men.