The Employees’ Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) has published its provisional payroll data for January 2025, indicating a net addition of 17.89 lakh members. This marks an 11.48 percent increase in net payroll additions when compared to December 2024.
A year-on-year comparison reveals an 11.67 percent rise in net additions relative to January 2024. This growth suggests a positive trend in employment creation and reflects increased awareness regarding social security benefits, possibly driven by EPFO’s proactive outreach strategies.
In January 2025, approximately 8.23 lakh new subscribers joined the EPFO, indicating a 1.87 percent growth over January 2024. This improvement is likely due to the expansion of employment opportunities and a better understanding of the benefits offered under EPFO, supported by effective promotional initiatives.
A significant insight from the data is the concentration of new enrollees in the 18–25 age group. This demographic contributed around 4.70 lakh new members, accounting for 57.07 percent of total new subscribers during January 2025. Compared to the same month in 2024, this age group saw a 3.07 percent enrollment growth.
Moreover, the net payroll addition for the 18–25 age bracket stood at approximately 7.27 lakh in January 2025. This reflects a 6.19 percent increase over December 2024 and an 8.15 percent rise compared to January 2024. These figures are consistent with prior trends, highlighting that a majority of new workforce entrants are young individuals beginning their professional careers.
The report also notes that around 15.03 lakh members exited and subsequently rejoined the EPFO system during January 2025, representing a substantial 23.55 percent year-over-year increase. These individuals typically transitioned between jobs but chose to transfer their EPFO balances rather than withdraw them, thereby ensuring continued financial protection and social security coverage.
In terms of gender distribution, approximately 2.17 lakh new female subscribers were registered during January 2025. This represents a 6.01 percent growth over the same month in the previous year. Additionally, the net addition of female members during the month reached about 3.44 lakh, showing a 13.48 percent rise over December 2024 and a 13.58 percent increase year-on-year. This trend points to progress in gender diversity and workforce inclusivity.
At the state and union territory level, the top five regions collectively accounted for nearly 59.98 percent of total net additions, amounting to about 10.73 lakh members. Maharashtra led the states by contributing 22.77 percent of the net additions in January 2025. Other states and UTs including Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana each contributed over 5 percent to the total net payroll for the month.
From a sectoral perspective, nearly 39.86 percent of the net payroll additions were attributed to expert services. This category includes manpower supply agencies, general contractors, security providers, and other related service sectors.
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