The National Statistics Office (NSO), under the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MOSPI), has revamped the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to provide monthly, quarterly, and annual updates with expanded coverage for both rural and urban areas.
This transformation aims to enhance policy-making decisions with high-frequency labour market indicators.
The new PLFS structure, effective from January 2025, introduces:
- Monthly estimates of employment indicators for rural and urban areas.
- Quarterly bulletins covering both urban and rural labour force trends.
- Annual reports follow a calendar year approach, replacing the earlier July–June cycle.
- A 2.65x increase in surveyed households, ensuring more accurate and reliable data.
- District-focused sampling methodology, boosting local-level representation.
The first monthly report for April 2025 is scheduled for release in May, with quarterly results for April–June 2025 to be published in August. These changes will significantly refine India’s labour statistics, aiding policy interventions and global comparability.
