The recently released Fourth Round (January-March, 2022) of the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES), a component of the All India Quarterly Establishment-based Employment Survey (AQEES), from the Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment, has shed light on several employment trends in India.
Highlights of The QES 2022
Overall, an estimated 3.18 crore workers were engaged in 5.31 lakh establishments during the 4th round. When compared to the previous quarter, which recorded a total of 3.14 crore workers, there is a slight increase in overall employment.
On a sector-by-sector basis, the manufacturing sector came out on top with 38.5% of the total workers, followed by Education at 21.7%, Information Technology/Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) at 12%, and the Health sector accounting for 10.6%.
Size of Establishments And Female Participation
When it comes to the size of the organizations, around 80% of the establishments employed between 10 to 99 workers. This number increases to 88% when considering establishments that employ at least ten workers. Only 1.4% of the establishments reported having at least 500 workers, with most of these larger establishments operating in the IT/BPO or health sectors.
The report also highlighted the participation of female workers, which showed a marginal rise from 31.6% in the 3rd quarter to 31.8% in the 4th quarter.
Sector Wise Female Participation
Breaking down the participation of females by sectors, it was found that 52% of women worked in the Health sector, 44% in Education, 41% in Financial Services, and 36% in IT/BPO. Notably, in the financial services sector, self-employed women far outnumbered self-employed men.
Introduction to AQEES
The AQEES is an initiative taken by the Labour Bureau to facilitate periodic updates about employment and related variables of establishments. It covers both organized and unorganized sectors across nine different areas.
There are two key components under the AQEES. The Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) provides employment estimates for the organizations employing 10 or more workers in the organized segment across nine sectors. These sectors include Manufacturing, Construction, Trade, Transport, Education, Health, Accommodation and Restaurants, IT/BPO, and Financial Service Activities.
On the other hand, the Area Frame Establishment Survey (AFES) covers the unorganized segment that employs less than ten workers through a sample survey.
Difference Between QES And PLFS
While the QES presents a demand-side picture, the National Sample Survey or Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) offers the supply-side image of the labour market. The National Statistical Organization (NSO), MoSPI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation) conducts the PLFS.
Past UPSC Civil Services Examination Questions
A past question from the UPSC Civil Services Examination (2015) asked candidates to identify which entity releases the ‘Consumer Price Index Number for Industrial Workers’. The correct answer was the Labour Bureau, which compiles the Consumer Price Index Numbers for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW). This index measures changes over time in prices of a specific basket of goods and services consumed by a defined population, in this case, industrial workers.
The current series of CPI-IW is compiled for 88 selected centres in the country. These centres are initially selected based on their industrial importance and then distributed among different states in proportion to the industrial employment in each state.
Last Modified: February 18, 2024