{"id":130366,"date":"2026-10-24T11:13:15","date_gmt":"2026-10-24T05:43:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=130366"},"modified":"2026-10-24T11:13:15","modified_gmt":"2026-10-24T05:43:15","slug":"plfs-revamp-capturing-indias-gig-economy-and-the-invisible-burden-of-unpaid-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/plfs-revamp-capturing-indias-gig-economy-and-the-invisible-burden-of-unpaid-work\/","title":{"rendered":"PLFS Revamp &#8211; Capturing India\u2019s Gig Economy and the Invisible Burden of Unpaid Work"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>PLFS Revamp Latest News<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is revamping the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to improve the measurement of <\/span><b>emerging forms of employment and unpaid work.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The revised design will be implemented from <\/span><b>January 2027<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, and the proposed changes seek to better capture digital platform workers, unpaid household and caregiving work, volunteer activities and unpaid trainee work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The move is significant because conventional employment statistics can <\/span><b>understate <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the contribution of workers engaged in informal, platform-based and non-market activities, particularly women\u2019s unpaid work.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Better Coverage of Gig and Platform Workers<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><b>Creating a separate sampling stratum:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MoSPI had begun collecting information on digital platform workers experimentally from January 2026. However, the existing sampling arrangement did not identify sufficient platform workers.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The revised <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/periodic-labour-force-survey\/\" target=\"_blank\">PLFS<\/a><\/strong> will create a separate Second Stage Stratum (<\/span><b>SSS<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">) for households containing digital platform workers, thereby improving their representation in the sample.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">An additional yes\/no screening question will ask whether any household member worked through a digital platform during the preceding 365 days.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Platforms mentioned include <\/span><b>Ola, Uber, Zomato<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, Amazon and Urban Company.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The information will help identify households eligible for inclusion in the new platform-worker stratum.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Understanding the nature of platform work:<\/b>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These challenges may include long working hours, harsh weather conditions, uncertain earnings, accident-related risks and inadequate social security.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The data can help policymakers <\/span><b>design appropriate labour protection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, social-security and income-security mechanisms for the growing platform economy.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><b>Why it matters<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: A NITI Aayog estimate put India&#8217;s gig and platform workforce at <\/span><b>77 lakh in 2020\u201321<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, projected to reach 2.35 crore by 2029\u201330. Better data is therefore essential for evidence-based policymaking.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Beyond Conventional Employment Statistics<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The revised PLFS will collect information on <\/span><b>own-use production<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, unpaid household and caregiving activities, volunteer work and unpaid trainee work.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">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.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The survey will also <\/span><b>distinguish <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">between activities undertaken for own consumption and those intended for sale.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These questions will be asked to persons aged 15 years and above during the first visit in both rural and urban areas.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Women\u2019s Labour Force Participation<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The reform is particularly important from a <\/span><b>gender perspective<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. MoSPI\u2019s 2024 Time Use Survey found a substantial gender gap in unpaid domestic and caregiving work.<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><b>For example<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, females aged above six spent, on average, more than 4.5 hours a day on such activities, compared with only 37 minutes for males.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The revised PLFS will additionally ask whether individuals &#8211;<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sought paid work or work for profit during the preceding 30 days;<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Currently want such work; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If they did not seek work, the principal reason, including family and household responsibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This can help determine whether women remain outside the labour market because of <\/span><b>personal choice, social norms or constraints<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> created by unpaid care responsibilities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b>Time poverty:<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"list-style-type: none;\">\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The disproportionate burden of unpaid care work can produce \u201ctime poverty\u201d.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is a <\/span><b>shortage of discretionary time<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that limits women\u2019s ability to undertake paid employment, acquire skills and pursue better economic opportunities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thus, measuring unpaid work is important not merely for household statistics but also for understanding female labour force participation, gender inequality and economic empowerment.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Updating the Sampling Frame<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The revamped PLFS will use an <\/span><b>updated <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sampling frame reflecting the new urban settlements; changes in urbanisation; creation, merger or division of districts and administrative units; etc.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The Urban Frame Survey will inform the updated urban frame, while the rural Census 2011 frame will undergo follow-up updating.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The revised allocation and stratification criteria are intended to improve sample selection and <\/span><b>reduce operational difficulties<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Significance of PLFS Revamp<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul style=\"text-align: justify;\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It represents a shift towards a more comprehensive measurement of employment and economic activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will &#8211;\u00a0<\/span>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Improve<\/span><b> statistical visibility <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">of gig and platform workers;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Capture the scale and nature of unpaid domestic and care work;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Strengthen gender-sensitive labour-market analysis;<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reflect changing urbanisation and population patterns; and<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"2\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Provide<\/span><b> evidence for policies <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">on social security, employment generation, women\u2019s workforce participation and the future of work.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, the reform recognises that economic contribution cannot be assessed only through conventional paid employment.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A <\/span><b>modern <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">labour-statistics system must also capture the growing platform economy and the substantial unpaid work that sustains households and communities.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\"><b>Source: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/business\/economy\/labour-survey-changes-gig-household-work-10934034\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>IE<\/b><\/a><b>\u00a0| <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/economictimes.indiatimes.com\/news\/economy\/policy\/indias-labour-survey-to-soon-include-platform-workers-and-unpaid-household-work\/articleshow\/135141793.cms?from=mdr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><b>ET<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The MoSPI is revamping the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to improve the measurement of emerging forms of employment and unpaid work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":19,"featured_media":130373,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[11122],"class_list":["post-130366","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","tag-plfs-revamp","no-featured-image-padding"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130366","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/19"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130366"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130366\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":130385,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130366\/revisions\/130385"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130373"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130366"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130366"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130366"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}