According to the latest payroll data of the Ministry of Labor, the Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) of the employees added 16.10 lakh pure members in February 2025 compared to the same month last year, marked a 3.99% increase compared to last year.
EPFO nominated 7.39 lakh new customers alone in February. Most new customers-57.71%-18-25, for the age group, suggest a strong entry of youth in formal jobs.
The organization said that it aligns with the trend that shows that a large number of fresh job seekers are joining the formal workforce.
The net payroll joint for the 18–25 age group was at 6.78 lakhs, registering an increase of 3.01% from February 2024.
Around 13.18 lakh members re -included the EPFO after switching the jobs. This is an increase of 11.85% in the same month last year.
These members chose to transfer their provident fund balance instead of withdrawing them, which continued their social security coverage.
The number of new female customers was 2.26% from last year 2.08 lakhs. Pure female payroll additions touched 3.37 lakhs, indicating an increase of 9.23%. The data highlights changes leading to a more inclusive and gender-class workforce.
Maharashtra led the payroll addition, contributed to 20.9% of the total. Together, the top five states -Maharishta, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, and Haryana accounts for about 60% of the overall net additions.
Industries such as fish processing, clubs and associations, cleaning services, IT-related services and airlines saw an increase in hiring.
Expert Service Category – including manpower suppliers, contractors and security agencies – contributed the highest stock at 41.72%.
What is EPF?
Employees Provident Fund (EPF) is a savings scheme for employees in India, which is managed by the EPFO under the Ministry of Labor and Employment. Employers and employees contribute 12% of the employee’s basic salary to the fund.
The scheme helps salaried individuals to create a retirement corpus, with tax-free interest and withdrawal under certain conditions.
The EPFO has been publishing monthly payroll data from April 2018, based on new joiners, exit and re-entries, based on the base-manual universal account number (UAN).
The data remains provisional as regular updates.
