PLFS Reforms To Capture Gig Workers And Unpaid Household Work
Source: Indian Express
GS III: Indian Economy- Indian Economy and issues relating to planning, mobilization of resources, growth, development and employment
Overview
- MoSPI plans to revise the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) from January 2027 to better capture gig and platform-based employment and unpaid domestic and caregiving work.
- The revised survey will collect details on platform workers, their employment patterns, motivations and challenges, improving the assessment of emerging labour market trends.
- It will help measure unpaid household work and highlight gender disparities, particularly women’s disproportionate burden of domestic and caregiving responsibilities.
- Improved labour market data can support inclusive employment policies and social security measures, although underreporting, changing work patterns and data comparability remain key challenges.
Why in the News?
The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) from January 2027 to better capture gig work and unpaid domestic and caregiving activities. Feedback is invited until November 7, 2026.
News in Brief
- The revised survey will collect information on workers engaged through digital platforms such as Ola, Uber, Zomato, Amazon and Urban Company.
- It will examine the nature of platform-based work, workers’ motivations, challenges and willingness to undertake paid employment.
- The survey will improve the measurement of domestic activities and caregiving responsibilities within households.
- The 2024 Time Use Survey found that females above six years spent more than four-and-a-half hours daily on unpaid domestic and caregiving activities, compared with 37 minutes for males.
Periodic Labor Force Survey (PLFS)
- The Periodic Labor Force Survey is conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI.
- Objectives;
- The PLFS aims to estimate key labor market indicators, measure employment and unemployment, assess labor force participation and track changes in employment patterns.
- It provide data for evidence-based labor and economic policymaking.
- Key indicators;
- Its key indicators include the Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR), which measures the share of the population that is employed or unemployed but seeking or available for work;
- The Worker Population Ratio (WPR), which measures the share of the population that is employed; and
- The Unemployment Rate (UR), which represents the share of unemployed persons in the labor force.
Changes to the Periodic Labor Force Survey
- The proposed revision aims to make labour market statistics more representative of changing employment patterns, particularly informal and platform-based work.
- The survey will collect information on:
- Whether any household member worked through a digital platform during the preceding 365 days.
- The goods or services provided by platform workers.
- Whether they worked across multiple platforms.
- The reasons for entering platform-based employment.
- The major challenges faced by these workers.
- The survey will also whether household members actively sought paid work or profit-making opportunities during the preceding 30 days, whether they currently wish to undertake such work, and why they may not have looked for employment.
- Family and household responsibilities may also be examined as factors influencing participation in paid work.
Gig and Platform Workers
- Gig workers undertake work on a temporary, task-based or contractual basis rather than relying exclusively on permanent employment.
- Platform workers are those who obtain work through digital platforms that connect service providers with customers.
- Examples; Ride-hailing drivers, food delivery partners and online service providers.
- The proposed changes will help identify workers whose employment arrangements may not be adequately captured by conventional measures of employment.
- A 2022 NITI Aayog report estimated that India’s gig workforce could increase to 2.35 crore by 2029-30.
Measuring Unpaid Domestic and Caregiving Work
- The revised survey will also seek to understand the extent of unpaid work performed by household members.
- Activities include:
- Cooking and cleaning.
- Fetching water.
- Feeding and caring for children.
- Looking after elderly family members.
- Producing goods for household consumption.
- Undertaking activities that may generate goods or services for sale.
- Collecting such information can help distinguish between activities performed for personal or household consumption and those undertaken for economic gain.
- It can also improve understanding of how unpaid responsibilities influence participation in paid employment.
Gender Gap in Unpaid Work
- The 2024 Time Use Survey highlighted a substantial difference between men and women in the time spent on unpaid domestic and caregiving activities.
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Indicator Females Males Average time spent per day on unpaid domestic and caregiving work More than 4.5 hours 37 minutes - The figures illustrate the unequal distribution of unpaid household responsibilities.
- Women often shoulder a disproportionate share of domestic work, which can limit their time for education, skill development, paid employment and career advancement.
- Better measurement of unpaid work can help policymakers understand barriers to women’s labor force participation and design more inclusive employment policies.
Why is the PLFS being used?
- MoSPI does not conduct the Time Use Survey every year.
- The PLFS is therefore being used to collect information that can help assess unpaid work and household responsibilities alongside employment patterns.
- The proposed approach can provide more regular insights into the relationship between paid employment, unpaid work and labour force participation.
Significance and Challenges of the proposed changes
- The proposed changes can improve labour statistics by identifying gig and platform workers more accurately and reflecting emerging employment patterns.
- Measuring unpaid domestic and caregiving work can support gender-sensitive policymaking by revealing how household responsibilities affect women’s participation in paid employment.
- Better data can also guide social security and welfare measures for gig and informal workers.
- Further, understanding the link between unpaid responsibilities and employment can help policymakers develop affordable childcare, elderly-care services and employment support programmes, promoting inclusive economic growth.
Challenges
- The proposed changes may face challenges such as underreporting, as household members may not recognize unpaid domestic activities as work.
- Frequent shifts between platforms, occupations and employment arrangements can make gig work difficult to classify, while irregular working hours and multiple income sources complicate measurement.
- Gendered social norms may also make women’s unpaid contributions less visible.
- Additionally, changes in survey methodology could affect comparisons with earlier estimates, making clear definitions, consistent methods and transparent documentation essential.
Way Forward and Conclusion
The PLFS should adopt clear definitions and improved survey methods, supported by time-use data, to capture gig work and unpaid care activities. Strengthening social security and expanding childcare and elderly-care services can promote inclusive employment and gender equality.
Overall, these reforms can improve labor statistics and support evidence-based policymaking through reliable data and transparent methodology.
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