PLFS SURVEY REPORT (Syllabus: GS Paper 3 – Economy)

Context: The National Sample Survey Office recently released the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for 2022-23.

• According to the survey, unemployment has decreased in the country: From 5.3% in rural areas in 2017-18 to 2.4% in 2022-23, and from 7.7% in urban areas in 2017-18 to 5.4% in 2022-23.

Highlights of Report

• In rural areas, the Labour Force Participation Rate increased from 50.7% in 2017-18 to 60.8% in 2022-23.
• For urban areas, LFPR increased from 47.6% to 50.4%.
• In rural areas, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) increased from 48.1% in 2017-18 to 59.4% in 2022-23.
• It increased from 43.9% to 47.7% in urban areas.
• In rural areas, the Unemployment Rate (UR) is 4.4% in 2022-23 while for urban areas it is found to be 7.0%

Periodic Labour Force Survey

• About: The PLFS survey is administered by the National Statistical Office (NSO), operating under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
• The NSO introduced the PLFS survey in April 2017.
• Objective: The PLFS survey is to gauge vital employment and unemployment metrics, specifically the Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, and Unemployment Rate.
• These indicators are assessed in a short time frame of three months, focusing exclusively on urban areas and using the 'Current Weekly Status' (CWS) methodology.