Lok Sabha Question No. 3295 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-09
Subject: Labour Force
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: T.N. Prathapan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT

## LOK SABHA

UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3295

TO BE ANSWERED ON 09.12.2019

## LABOUR FORCE

3295. SHRI T.N. PRATHAPAN:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)the number of persons in the labour force, for rural and urban areas, for the last five years, year-wise; (b)the number of persons unemployed, willing to work and active job seekers, year-wise, for rural and urban, for the last five years; (c)the number of persons unemployed, willing to work but inactive in seeking jobs, year-wise, for rural and urban, for the last five years; (d)the number of underemployed, marginally attached and discouraged workers, year-wise, for rural and urban, for the last five years; and (e)the number of persons employed, full-time, part-time, separately, year-wise,
- for rural and urban, for the last five years?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE (IC) FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SHRI SANTOSH KUMAR GANGWAR)

(a): Labour Bureau, an attached office of the M/o Labour & Employment, had launched Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) in 2010 which, interalia,  captured  the  Labour  Force  Participation  Rate  (LFPR)  for  rural  and urban India.   The LFPR based on Usual Principal & Subsidiary Status (UPSS) in the  country  for  the  4 th   (2013-14)  and  5 th   (2015-16)  round  of  the  EUS  are  as under:-

| Survey               | Rural   | Urban   | Rural+Urban   |
|----------------------|---------|---------|---------------|
| Fourth EUS( 2013-14) | 58.8%   | 47.9%   | 55.6%         |
| Fifth EUS (2015-16)  | 55.8%   | 43.7%   | 52.4%         |

Contd...2/-

Annual Employment-Unemployment Survey (EUS) has been replaced by Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) being conducted on annual basis by the National  Sample  Survey  Office  (NSSO)  since  2017-18.  According  to  PLFS, estimates of Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) under usual status (ps+ss) for 2017-18 was 36.9% at the All India level. For rural areas, LFPR under usual status (ps+ss) stood at 37% while for the urban areas it was 36.8%. However, methodology varies in both the surveys and figures are not strictly comparable.

- (b) & (c): The Unemployment Rate based on UPSS approach for persons aged 15 years & above during the 4th & 5th round of EUS were as under:-

| Survey               | Rural   | Urban   | Rural+Urban   |
|----------------------|---------|---------|---------------|
| Fourth EUS( 2013-14) | 2.9%    | 4.9%    | 3.4%          |
| Fifth EUS (2015-16)  | 3.4%    | 4.4%    | 3.7%          |

Based on the PLFS conducted by NSSO during July 2017-June 2018, estimates of Unemployment Rate under usual status (ps+ss) are 6.1% at the All India level. For rural areas and urban areas the corresponding figures stood at 5.3% and 7.8% respectively.

- (d) & (e): The  Worker  Population  Rate  (WPR),  which  indicates  proportion  of working persons in the total population, based on Usual Principal & Subsidiary Status(UPSS) approach for persons aged 15 years & above during the 4th & 5th round of Employment-Unemployment Survey(EUS) were as under:-

| Survey               | Rural   | Urban   | Rural+Urban   |
|----------------------|---------|---------|---------------|
| Fourth EUS( 2013-14) | 57.1%   | 45.5%   | 53.7%         |
| Fifth EUS (2015-16)  | 53.9%   | 41.8%   | 50.5%         |

The  corresponding  estimates  of  Worker  Population  Ratio  (WPR) under PLFS for 2017-18 is 34.7% at All India level. For rural areas, WPR under usual  status  (ps+ss)  stood  at  35%  while  for  the  urban  areas  it  was  33.9%. However, methodology of EUS and PLFS varies in both the surveys and figures are not strictly comparable.

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