Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2022-2023 Released

GS Paper III Indian Economy

Context:

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Annual Report 2022-23 was recently released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).

Launched by: National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) in 2017.
Objective: To estimate the key employment and unemployment indicators in:
- Short time interval of three months for the urban areas only in the ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS). Both ‘Usual Status’ (ps+ss) and CWS in both rural and urban areas annually.
The key employment and unemployment indicators are definedin periodic labour force survey, as:
- Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): LFPR is defined as the percentage of persons in labour force (i.e. working or seeking or available for work) in the population.
- Worker Population Ratio (WPR): WPR is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population.
- Unemployment Rate (UR): UR is defined as the percentage of persons unemployed among the persons in the labor force.

Definitions of CWS and Usual Status

CWS: The activity status determined on the basis of a reference period of last 7 days preceding the date of survey is known as the current weekly status (CWS) of the person.
Usual Status: The activity status of a person is determined on the basis of the activities pursued by the person. When the activity status is determined on the basis of the reference period of last 365 days preceding the date of survey, it is known as the usual activity status of the person.

Periodic Labour Force Survey

LFPR Status in Periodic Labour Force Survey
- In rural areas, LFPR increased from 50.7% in 2017-18 to 60.8% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it increased from 47.6% to 50.4%.
- LFPR for male in India increased from 75.8% in 2017-18 to 78.5% in 2022-23 and corresponding increase in LFPR for female was from 23.3% to 37.0%.
WPR Status in Periodic Labour Force Survey
- In rural areas, WPR increased from 48.1% in 2017-18 to 59.4% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it increased from 43.9% to 47.7%.
- WPR for male in India increased from 71.2% in 2017-18 to 76.0% in 2022-23 and corresponding increase in WPR for female was from 22.0% to 35.9%.
UR Status in Periodic Labour Force Survey
- In rural areas, UR decreased from 5.3% in 2017-18 to 2.4% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it decreased from 7.7% to 5.4%.
- UR for male in India decreased from 6.1% in 2017-18 to 3.3% in 2022-23 and corresponding decrease in UR for female was from 5.6% to 2.9%.