EPFO Records Historic 2 Million Net Member Additions In May 2025

The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) added a record 2 million net members in May 2025, including 942,000 new employees, according to payroll data released on Monday.

The addition is 4.79% higher than April 2025 and 2.84% higher year-on-year. The May figures mark the highest monthly addition since payroll tracking began in April 2018, the labour ministry stated.

Union Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said the historic EPFO member addition reflects the growing strength of India’s formal employment sector.

“This achievement is a direct result of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visionary leadership and the government’s commitment to pro-youth, pro-worker reforms,” he said.

EPFO enrolled around 942,000 new subscribers in May, an 11.04% increase from April 2025. The 18–25 age group dominated the additions, with 560,000 new subscribers — 59.48% of the total. This segment saw a 14.53% rise compared to April.

Net payroll addition for the 18–25 group stood at 873,000, up 15.10% from April and 0.11% from May 2024. EPFO said this aligns with the trend of young, first-time job seekers entering the formal workforce.

Female workforce participation also grew. Around 262,000 new female subscribers joined in May, up 7.08% month-on-month. Net female payroll additions reached 425,000, marking a 7.54% monthly and 15.04% yearly growth.

Around 1.6 million members rejoined EPFO in May, a 2.12% increase from April and a 14.27% rise from May 2024. These members switched jobs but transferred their savings instead of withdrawing, boosting long-term social security.

The top five states and Union Territories accounted for 59.98% of net payroll additions, totalling 1.2 million members. Maharashtra led with 20.33%, while Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana each contributed over 5%.

Industry data shows expert services drove 44.61% of net additions, with manpower suppliers comprising 51.71% of this segment. Other notable sectors include textiles, engineering products, finance, and garment manufacturing.

Since April 2018, EPFO has released payroll data covering September 2017 onwards, using Aadhaar-validated Universal Account Numbers to track first-time members, exits, and re-joins.

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