The National Statistical Office (NSO) has recently published the quarterly bulletin of Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) for the period October-December 2020. This particular dataset stands apart from the Annual Report of Periodic Labour Force Survey, which encompasses both rural and urban areas. For urban areas, unemployment data is disseminated on a quarterly basis. As the central statistical agency of the Government, NSO’s mandate falls under the Statistical Services Act 1980 under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
Primary Findings of the Quarterly Bulletin
The Quarterly Bulletin highlighted a significant increase in the Unemployment rate among individuals aged 15 and above in urban areas. It escalated to 10.3% in October-December 2020 against 7.9% in the corresponding period the previous year. The labour force participation rate for the same age bracket in urban areas witnessed a slight dip to 47.3% in the fourth quarter of 2020, a decline from 47.8% in the same quarter a year ago. The Worker Population Ratio for ages 15 and above in urban locales was 42.4% in the last quarter of 2020, falling from 44.1% within the same timeframe in the previous year.
About the Periodic Labour Force Survey
Recognising the necessity of consistent labour force data, the National Statistical Office initiated the Periodic Labour Force Survey in April 2017. The primary objective of PLFS includes providing estimates of key employment and unemployment indicators such as Worker Population Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, and Unemployment Rate for urban areas only in ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS) at three-month intervals. Furthermore, it aims to estimate employment and unemployment indicators based on both usual Status and CWS in rural and urban regions annually. There have been three annual reports and nine quarterly bulletins released since the survey’s launch.
Key Terminologies
Several terms play a significant role in these surveys. The Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) refers to the percentage of individuals engaged or actively seeking work in the population. The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) is defined as the percentage of employed persons in the population. The Unemployment Rate (UR) mirrors the percentage of unemployed individuals among the labour force.
Activity Status is determined based on the activities pursued by a person during a specific reference period.
The term ‘Usual Status’ denotes the activity status established on the basis of the reference period of the last 365 days preceding the date of survey. On the other hand, ‘Current Weekly Status’ (CWS) is the activity status ascertained on the reference period of the last seven days preceding the date of survey.
The source of this information is the Press Information Bureau (PIB).
Last Modified: February 13, 2024