EPFO Adds 16.1 Lakh Net Members In Feb

New Delhi: Retirement fund body EPFO added 16.10 lakh net members in February, marking a 3.99 per cent increase compared to the same month last year, according to the latest payroll data released on Monday. Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) enrolled around 7.39 lakh new subscribers in February 2025, a labour ministry statement said. This addition of new subscribers can be attributed to growing employment opportunities, increased awareness of employee benefits, and EPFO’s successful outreach programs, the ministry stated.

The EPFO has released provisional payroll data for February 2025, revealing a net addition of 16.10 lakh members, according to the statement. The year-on-year analysis reveals a growth of 3.99 per cent in net payroll additions compared to February 2024, signifying increased employment opportunities and heightened awareness of employee benefits, bolstered by EPFO’s effective outreach initiatives.

A noticeable aspect of the data is the dominance of the 18-25 age group, which accounted for 4.27 lakh new subscribers in February 2025. This segment constituted a significant 57.71 per cent of the total new subscribers added during the month. This is in consonance with the earlier trend, which indicates that most individuals joining the organised workforce are youth, primarily first-time job seekers, it opined. Further, the net payroll addition for the age group 18-25 for February 2025 is approximately 6.78 lakh, reflecting a growth of 3.01 per cent from the previous year in February 2024.

Approximately 13.18 lakh members, who had exited earlier, rejoined the EPFO in February 2025, the data showed. This figure depicts a significant 11.85 per cent year-over-year growth compared to February 2024. These members switched their jobs and re-joined the establishments covered under the ambit of EPFO. Instead of opting for final settlement, they chose to transfer their accumulated funds, thereby safeguarding their long-term financial well-being and extending their social security protection.

As per the data, around 2.08 lakh new female subscribers joined EPFO in February 2025. It depicts year-over-year growth of 1.26 per cent compared to February 2024. Further, the net female payroll addition during the month stood at around 3.37 lakh, a significant year-over-year growth of 9.23 per cent compared to February 2024. The growth in female member additions is indicative of a broader shift towards a more inclusive and diverse workforce. State-wise analysis of payroll data denotes that the top five states/ UTs constitute around 59.75 per cent of net payroll addition, adding a total of around 9.62 lakh net payroll during the month. Of all the states, Maharashtra is leading by adding 20.90 per cent of net payroll during the month.

The states/UTs of Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Gujarat, Haryana, Delhi, Telangana and Uttar Pradesh individually added more than 5 per cent of the total net payroll during the month.