Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) | UPSC CSE

Why in News: The National Statistical Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), has released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) Quarterly Bulletin for July–September 2025, providing key insights into India’s labour market conditions.

Key Highlights (July–September 2025)

• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): Increased marginally to 55.1% (from 55.0% in the previous quarter) for persons aged 15 years and above.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR): Rose slightly from 52.0% (April–June 2025) to 52.2% in July–September 2025, indicating higher employment engagement.
• Unemployment Rate (UR): Declined from 5.4% to 5.2%, suggesting a marginal improvement in job availability and labour absorption.

About the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS):

• Introduced by: NSO, MoSPI
• Purpose: To provide reliable and timely estimates of employment, unemployment, and labour participation in both rural and urban areas.
• Frequency: Monthly, quarterly, and annual reports under the Current Weekly Status (CWS) and Usual Status (ps+ss) frameworks.

The revised PLFS methodology (effective from January 2025) now provides monthly and quarterly estimates for both rural and urban India, enhancing the timeliness and granularity of labour statistics.

Objectives of the Redesigned PLFS:

1. Monthly Indicators: Generate monthly LFPR, WPR, and UR for rural and urban India under the CWS framework.
2. Quarterly Indicators: Extend quarterly estimates to rural areas (earlier only for urban).
3. Annual Estimates: Continue providing yearly estimates under both Usual Status (ps+ss) and Current Weekly Status (CWS).

Key Concepts:

• Usual Status: Activity status based on a reference period of the last 365 days before the survey.
• Current Weekly Status (CWS): Activity status based on a reference period of the last 7 days before the survey.
• Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR): Percentage of the population aged 15 years and above who are either employed or unemployed.
• Worker Population Ratio (WPR): Percentage of the population aged 15 years and above who are employed.
• Unemployment Rate (UR): Percentage of the labour force that is unemployed but actively seeking work.

Source: PIB

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