Daily News Analysis » Periodic Labour Force Survey Results July 2022-June 2023

Periodic Labour Force Survey Results July 2022-June 2023

About the Survey:

  • The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is conducted annually to assess India’s employment situation, providing data on various employment metrics, including demand for work, gender differences, and sectoral distribution.
  • The survey collects data in two ways: Usual Status (US) or UPSS and Current Weekly Status (CWS), with a focus on CWS due to better recall.

 

Usual Principal and Subsidiary Status (UPSS): Principal status is determined based on the activity one spent the most time on in the previous year. 

Current Weekly Status (CWS):  A shorter reference period of a week is adopted. Individuals are counted as employed if they have worked for at least one hour on at least one day in the preceding seven days. 

 

Key Points from the latest Report: 

  • India’s latest employment data reveals a decrease in the unemployment rate, but the quality of jobs is deteriorating, and monthly earnings have remained mostly stagnant since 2017.
  • The Unemployment Rate (UER) for the population above 15 years has fallen from 6.6% to 5.1% over the past year, indicating a decrease in people unable to find work.
  • The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) has increased significantly, with 54.6% of Indians above 15 years actively seeking jobs in 2022-23.
  • The LFPR for women experienced two significant increases, in 2019-20 and 2022-23, possibly due to economic challenges and the COVID-19 pandemic.
  • The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) has been rising, reflecting the proportion of employed individuals in the population, with notable increases in 2019-20 and 2022-23.
  • Monthly earnings have shown minimal growth over the past six years, considering the impact of rising inflation.
  • Self-employment has increased, while the proportion of individuals in regular salaried jobs and casual labor has decreased.
  • Self-employment among women is a significant contributor to this trend.
  • Despite positive trends in some areas, the type of jobs being created, their pay, and sectoral distribution are concerning. Self-employment and unpaid work in household enterprises appear to be the main sources of employment growth.
  • The proportion of Indians employed in agriculture has increased, while manufacturing jobs have declined.
  • Despite increased workforce participation, monthly incomes in India have not improved as expected during economic growth.

 

Why in News:

  • Recently, the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation released the results of the Periodic Labour Force Survey for the period July 2022 to June 2023.