Lok Sabha Question No. 1626 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-07-30
Subject: Periodic Labour Force Survey
Ministry: STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION
Asked by: Shri Sribharat Mathukumilli

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1626 TO BE ANSWERED ON 30.07.2025

## PERIODIC LABOUR FORCE SURVEY

## 1626. SHRI SRIBHARAT MATHUKUMILLI:

Will the Minister of STATISTICS AND PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  the  Periodic  Labour  Force  Survey  (PLFS)  currently captures  employment  data  specific  to  gig  and  platform-based workers such as food delivery agents, cab drivers, e-commerce logistics  staff  and  freelance  digital  workers,  if  so,  the  details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  review  or  expert consultation  to  assess  the  statistical  gap  arising  from  the growing informalisation and digitalisation of urban employment, if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether there are any proposals to revise PLFS survey instruments to distinctly identify platform-mediated, task-based and app-dependent forms of work, if so, the details thereof;
- (d) whether the absence of disaggregated data on such workers has impacted  the  Government's  ability  to  design  targeted  social protection and regulation for them, if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) whether the Government is planning to incorporate gig/platform employment into future labour surveys, if so, the details thereof and the timeline fix for the same?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE (INDEPENDENT CHARGE) OF THE MINISTRY OF STATISTICS  AND  PROGRAMME  IMPLEMENTATION;  MINISTER  OF STATE  (INDEPENDENT  CHARGE)  OF  THE  MINISTRY  OF  PLANNING AND  MINISTER  OF  STATE  IN  THE  MINISTRY  OF  CULTURE  [RAO INDERJIT SINGH]

- (a): National Statistics Office (NSO) under Ministry of Statistics and Programme  Implementation  (MoSPI)  has  been  conducting  Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) since 2017 to estimate various indicators related  to  employment  and  unemployment  in  the  country.  Based  on

the information collected in PLFS, labour force indicators, viz., Labour Force  Participation  Rate  (LFPR),  Worker  Population  Ratio  (WPR), Unemployment  Rate (UR), distribution of workers by status in employment (self-employed, regular wage / salaried, casual labour), by industry (as per National Industrial Classification (NIC)) and occupation (National Classification of Occupation (NCO)) of work etc. are brought out through the PLFS publications. In PLFS, the persons engaged  as  'gig  and  platform-based  workers'  are  not  specifically identified. However, all market activities i.e. activities performed for pay  or  profit  which  result  in  production  of  goods  and  services  for exchange  are included under the domain  of economic  activity considered in PLFS. The activity situation of a person who is found to be working or being engaged in economic activity during a specified reference period is associated with employment in PLFS. Hence, even the  persons  engaged  as  'gig  and  platform-based  workers'  for  pay  & profit are covered in PLFS.

(b): As per an estimation by NITI Aayog vide its report titled 'India`s Booming  Gig  and  Platform  Economy'  published  in  June  2022,  the number of gig workers and platform workers in the country was 7.7 million in 2020-21 which is expected to rise to 23.5 million by 2029-30.

(c): The concepts and definitions in PLFS are formulated conforming to  various  standards  and  various  facets  of  internationally  accepted standards  on  labour  statistics  are  studied  in  MoSPI  to  assess  their applicability  and  relevance  in  the  country  context.  However,  as  on date, there is no such proposal of revising PLFS survey instruments to distinctly  identify  platform-mediated,  task-based,  and  app-dependent forms of work.

(d): For  the  first  time,  the  definition  of  'gig  workers'  and  'platform workers' and provisions related to the same have been provided in the Code  on  Social  Security,  2020  which  has  been  enacted  by  the Parliament. The Code provides for framing of suitable social security measures for gig workers and platform workers on matters relating to life  and  disability  cover,  accident  insurance,  health  and  maternity benefits,  old  age  protection,  etc.  The  Government  in  its  Budget Announcement for financial year 2025-26 has announced several key measures for the welfare of Gig workers of online platforms (platform workers)  viz.  their  registration  on  the  e-Shram  portal,  issuance  of identity cards, and extension of health care benefits under Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Aarogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).

(e): The feasibility of separately identifying gig/ platform workers in PLFS is presently not under consideration of NSO, MoSPI.

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