Seventh Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey [July 2023 – June 2024]

The seventh Annual Report of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), conducted by the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) for the period July 2023 – June 2024, has been released. It provides key insights into employment and unemployment indicators across rural and urban areas in India.

Key Findings

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR)
  • Overall LFPR for persons aged 15 years and above: 60.1% (2023-24).
  • Male LFPR: 78.8%, Female LFPR: 41.7%.
  • Notable increase in female LFPR from 37.0% in 2022-23 to 41.7% in 2023-24.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR)
  • Overall WPR for persons aged 15 years and above: 58.2% (2023-24).
  • Male WPR: 76.3%, Female WPR: 40.3%.
  • Significant increase in female WPR from 35.9% in 2022-23 to 40.3% in 2023-24.
• Unemployment Rate (UR)
  • Overall UR for persons aged 15 years and above: 3.2% (2023-24).
  • Male UR: 3.2%, Female UR: 3.2%.
  • Female unemployment increased from 2.9% in 2022-23 to 3.2% in 2023-24, while male unemployment saw a slight decline from 3.3% to 3.2% during the same period.

About PLFS:

• Aim: To estimate key employment and unemployment indicators at a more frequent time interval.
• Launched in: 2017 by NSSO.

Objectives:

• Urban Areas (Current Weekly Status – CWS): To estimate key employment and unemployment indicators like the Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR), and Unemployment Rate (UR) at a quarterly interval using the Current Weekly Status (CWS) for urban areas.
• Rural and Urban Areas (Usual Status and CWS): To provide annual estimates of these indicators in both rural and urban areas using Usual Status (ps+ss) and CWS.

Methodology

• Fieldwork for 2023-24:
  • Completed in both rural and urban areas.
  • Samples collected: 12,743 First Stage Units (FSUs) surveyed, covering 101,920 households.
• Sample Design:
  • Urban areas: Rotational panel sampling, with each household visited four times (first visit and three revisits).
  • Rural areas: Simple random sampling.

Key Employment and Unemployment Indicators

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): Represents the percentage of people in the labour force (working or seeking work) within the population.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR): Reflects the percentage of employed persons in the population.
• Unemployment Rate (UR): Percentage of unemployed persons in the labour force.

Activity Status:

• Usual Status (ps+ss): This refers to the activity status of a person over the last 365 days preceding the date of the survey. It includes:
  • Principal Activity Status (ps): The activity where a person spent the majority of their time during the reference period.
  • Subsidiary Economic Activity Status (ss): Any economic activity performed for at least 30 days during the reference period, in addition to the principal activity.
• Current Weekly Status (CWS): This refers to the activity status of a person during the last 7 days preceding the survey.

Trends (2022-23 to 2023-24)

• LFPR:
  • Rural: Increased from 60.8% in 2022-23 to 63.7% in 2023-24.
  • Urban: Increased from 50.4% to 52.0%.
  • Female LFPR: Increased from 37.0% to 41.7%.
• WPR:
  • Rural: Increased from 59.4% in 2022-23 to 62.1% in 2023-24.
  • Urban: Increased from 47.7% to 49.4%.
  • Female WPR: Increased from 35.9% to 40.3%.
• UR:
  • Rural: Increased from 2.4% in 2017-18 to 2.5% in 2023-24.
  • Urban: Increased from 5.4% to 5.1%.
  • Female UR: Decreased from 2.9% to 3.2%.

Ref: Source

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