PLFS Revamp – Capturing India’s Gig Economy and the Invisible Burden of Unpaid Work

PLFS Revamp Latest News

• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is revamping the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to improve the measurement of emerging forms of employment and unpaid work. 
• The revised design will be implemented from January 2027, and the proposed changes seek to better capture digital platform workers, unpaid household and caregiving work, volunteer activities and unpaid trainee work.
• The move is significant because conventional employment statistics can understate the contribution of workers engaged in informal, platform-based and non-market activities, particularly women’s unpaid work.

Better Coverage of Gig and Platform Workers

• Creating a separate sampling stratum:
  • MoSPI had begun collecting information on digital platform workers experimentally from January 2026. However, the existing sampling arrangement did not identify sufficient platform workers.
  • The revised PLFS will create a separate Second Stage Stratum (SSS) for households containing digital platform workers, thereby improving their representation in the sample.
  • An additional yes/no screening question will ask whether any household member worked through a digital platform during the preceding 365 days. 
  • Platforms mentioned include Ola, Uber, Zomato, Amazon and Urban Company.
  • The information will help identify households eligible for inclusion in the new platform-worker stratum.
• Understanding the nature of platform work:
  • Identified platform workers will be asked about the goods or services provided; whether they work for multiple platforms; reasons for entering platform work; and major challenges faced.
  • These challenges may include long working hours, harsh weather conditions, uncertain earnings, accident-related risks and inadequate social security.
  • The data can help policymakers design appropriate labour protection, social-security and income-security mechanisms for the growing platform economy.
• Why it matters: A NITI Aayog estimate put India’s gig and platform workforce at 77 lakh in 2020–21, projected to reach 2.35 crore by 2029–30. Better data is therefore essential for evidence-based policymaking.

‹ ›

Beyond Conventional Employment Statistics

• The revised PLFS will collect information on own-use production, unpaid household and caregiving activities, volunteer work and unpaid trainee work.
• Questions will cover activities such as fetching water; cooking and cleaning; washing clothes; feeding and caring for children; caring for elderly family members; and producing goods or providing services for household consumption.
• The survey will also distinguish between activities undertaken for own consumption and those intended for sale.
• These questions will be asked to persons aged 15 years and above during the first visit in both rural and urban areas.

Women’s Labour Force Participation

• The reform is particularly important from a gender perspective. MoSPI’s 2024 Time Use Survey found a substantial gender gap in unpaid domestic and caregiving work.
  • For example, females aged above six spent, on average, more than 4.5 hours a day on such activities, compared with only 37 minutes for males.
• The revised PLFS will additionally ask whether individuals –
  • Sought paid work or work for profit during the preceding 30 days;
  • Currently want such work; and
  • If they did not seek work, the principal reason, including family and household responsibilities.
  • This can help determine whether women remain outside the labour market because of personal choice, social norms or constraints created by unpaid care responsibilities.
• Time poverty:

• • The disproportionate burden of unpaid care work can produce “time poverty”.
  • It is a shortage of discretionary time that limits women’s ability to undertake paid employment, acquire skills and pursue better economic opportunities.
  • Thus, measuring unpaid work is important not merely for household statistics but also for understanding female labour force participation, gender inequality and economic empowerment.

Updating the Sampling Frame

• The revamped PLFS will use an updated sampling frame reflecting the new urban settlements; changes in urbanisation; creation, merger or division of districts and administrative units; etc.
• The Urban Frame Survey will inform the updated urban frame, while the rural Census 2011 frame will undergo follow-up updating.
• The revised allocation and stratification criteria are intended to improve sample selection and reduce operational difficulties.

Significance of PLFS Revamp

• It represents a shift towards a more comprehensive measurement of employment and economic activity. 
• It will – 
  • Improve statistical visibility of gig and platform workers;
  • Capture the scale and nature of unpaid domestic and care work;
  • Strengthen gender-sensitive labour-market analysis;
  • Reflect changing urbanisation and population patterns; and
  • Provide evidence for policies on social security, employment generation, women’s workforce participation and the future of work.
• Overall, the reform recognises that economic contribution cannot be assessed only through conventional paid employment. 
• A modern labour-statistics system must also capture the growing platform economy and the substantial unpaid work that sustains households and communities.

Source: IE | ET