Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has revamped the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) from January 2025 to provide high-frequency labor market indicators. The revamped PLFS will offer monthly estimates of key employment and unemployment indicators at the all-India level and extend quarterly estimates to rural areas. Users of PLFS results should consider changes implemented from January 2025 when comparing PLFS results with estimates released up to December 2024.
Key Points / Main Content:
Objectives of the Revamped PLFS:
* Estimate key employment and unemployment indicators (LFPR, WPR, UR) monthly for rural and urban areas at the all-India level using the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
* Extend quarterly PLFS results to rural areas, producing quarterly estimates at the country level and for major States in CWS.
* Estimate important employment and unemployment indicators annually in both usual status (psss) and CWS for rural and urban areas.
Changes in PLFS Dissemination from January 2025:
* Monthly estimates of key labor market indicators (LFPR, WPR, and UR) will be available at the all-India level following the CWS approach.
* Quarterly estimates of employment unemployment indicators will be available for both rural and urban areas, and hence for the entire country.
Enhanced Sample Size:
* The revamped PLFS sample design utilizes a multistage stratified design, using census 2011 villages and Urban Frame Survey (UFS) blocks as the sampling frame.
* A total sample size of 22,692 FSUs is planned to be surveyed annually (12,504 rural, 10,188 urban), compared to 12,800 FSUs surveyed previously.
* The number of households surveyed per FSU has increased from 8 to 12.
Credibility, Timeliness and Accessibility:
* Monthly estimates of labor market indicators are released in the PLFS monthly bulletin, including measures of error (Relative Standard Error - RSE).
* Monthly Bulletins of PLFS are released following a predefined timeframe and are made available on the MoSPI website.
Impact Analysis:
Users of PLFS Results:
* Impact: Need to consider the changes implemented in PLFS from January 2025 when comparing PLFS results with estimates released up to December 2024.
* Action Required: Understand and use the results of PLFS post January 2025 in the context of the redesigned sample selection methodology.
Policy Making Bodies (States and Other Relevant Bodies):
* Impact: Will have access to more frequent (monthly) and comprehensive (including rural areas in quarterly estimates) labor market data for timely policy interventions. Note that at present the monthly results of PLFS disseminates labour market indicators at the country level and do not have provision for bringing out State level estimates.
* Action Required: Utilize the new data to inform and adjust policies related to employment and unemployment.
Key Entities Referenced
Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS): A survey conducted by the National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) to estimate various indicators related to employment and unemployment in the country.
Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI): The Indian government ministry responsible for statistical data collection and analysis, including the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
National Statistics Office (NSO): The organization under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) responsible for conducting the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
Current Weekly Status (CWS): A reference period of seven days preceding the date of the survey, used for measuring employment and unemployment in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
Usual Status (psss): An approach to measure employment and unemployment based on activities pursued during the reference year in the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): An indicator which is estimated by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) on a monthly basis for rural and urban areas at all India level.
Worker Population Ratio (WPR): An indicator which is estimated by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) on a monthly basis for rural and urban areas at all India level.
Unemployment Rate (UR): An indicator which is estimated by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) on a monthly basis for rural and urban areas at all India level.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2855
TO BE ANSWERED ON 06.08.2025
CHANGES IN PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY FROM 2025
2855. SHRI BIBHU PRASAD TARA:
SHRI BALABHADRA MAJHI:
Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
be pleased to state:
(a) the details of the plans to address the challenge of data
comparability between the old and new Periodic Labour Force
Survey (PLFS) frameworks post-January 2025;
(b) whether the revamped PLFS enables monthly labour force
indicators for timely policy interventions; and
(c) if so, the details thereof including the measures taken to ensure
their credibility, timeliness and accessibility to States and other
relevant policy making bodies?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF
STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION; MINISTER OF
STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF PLANNING AND
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF CULTURE [RAO INDERJIT
SINGH]
(a) to (c): National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of
Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) has been
conducting Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) since 2017 to estimate
various indicators related to employment and unemployment in the
country. The sampling design of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS)
has been revamped from January 2025 to address the requirement of
high frequency labour market indicators with enhanced coverage from
PLFS. The revamped PLFS is envisaged to address the following
objectives: to estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators
(viz. Labour Force Participation Rate, Worker Population Ratio,
Unemployment Rate) on a monthly basis for rural and urban
areas at all-India level in the Current Weekly Status (CWS).
to extend the coverage of the Quarterly results of PLFS to rural
areas and thereby producing quarterly estimates at the country
level and for major States in the Current Weekly Status (CWS) .
to estimate important employment and unemployment indicators
in both usual status (ps+ss) and CWS in both rural and urban
areas annually.
The revamped PLFS sample design from January 2025 results in the
following updation in the PLFS dissemination:
Availability of monthly estimates of key labour market indicators
at the country level: The revamped PLFS sample design will enable
generation of the monthly estimates of key labour market indicators
viz. LFPR, WPR and UR at the all-India level following the Current
Weekly Status (CWS) approach. The monthly estimates will help in
timely policy interventions.
Extending quarterly estimates to rural areas: Upto December,
2024, PLFS provided quarterly labour market indicators for the urban
areas only. With the updation in the PLFS sample design quarterly
estimates of employment unemployment indicators will be available
for both rural and urban areas and hence for the entire country.
Enhanced sample size: The revamped PLFS sample design is a
multistage stratified design. List of census 2011 villages / urban
Frame Survey (UFS) blocks / sub-units (for those villages or UFS
blocks where sub-units are formed within) together formed the
sampling frame for selection of the First Stage Units (FSUs). In the
revamped PLFS sample design, a total sample size of 22,692 FSUs is
planned to be surveyed (12,504 FSUs in the rural areas and 10,188 in
the urban areas) in each year of the two-year panel with first visit
schedule as compared to 12,800 FSUs surveyed in PLFS upto
December, 2024. The number of households to be surveyed within a
selected geographical unit (FSU) has been increased from 8 to 12
households. The enhanced sample size is expected to provide reliable
estimates of labour market indicators with improved precision.
In addition, some changes have also been incorporated in thestructure of the Schedule of inquiry. Users of PLFS results need to
consider the changes implemented in PLFS from January 2025 while
comparing PLFS results with estimates released through PLFS
publications up to December, 2024. The results of the PLFS post
January 2025 thus need to be understood and used in the context with
which the sample selection methodology of PLFS has been designed.
The monthly estimates of labour market indicators are released in the
PLFS monthly bulletin along with the measures of error due to
sampling in the form of Relative Standard Error (RSE). The RSE of the
labour market indicators released till date at the all-India level has
remained within acceptable limits. The low levels of RSE of the
headline indicators brings forth the reliability of the estimates.
The Monthly Bulletins of PLFS for the months April 2025, May 2025
and June 2025 have been released following a predefined timeframe
for release of the results and are made available on the website of the
ministry of ease access of users at large. At present the monthly
results of PLFS disseminates labour market indicators at the country
level and do not have provision for bringing out State level estimates.
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