Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) 2019-23

Context:

Recent findings of the Periodic Labour Force Surveys (PLFS) assessing various forms of employment from April-June 2019 to 2023 have been released.

Key Findings –

Trends in Gender Gap:
- The gender gap in earnings has increased for self-employed workers but decreased for regular wage workers.
- From 2019 to 2022, male regular wage workers earned 34% more than women, which decreased to 24% in 2023.
Average Weekly Work Hours:
- Women work fewer hours than men across all types of work. In 2023, the largest gap in work hours was observed among self-employed workers, with men working 50% more hours than women.
- The gap was the smallest for regular wage workers, where men and women worked 51 and 43 hours per week, respectively.
Earnings per Hour: When considering hourly earnings, the gap significantly reduces for regular wage workers.
- In 2023, men in this category earned 24% more than women over the week, but also worked 19% longer.
- The gap in hourly earnings for regular wage workers was only around 4%, down from 11% in 2019.
Inequality in Hourly Earnings: Inequality in hourly earnings is higher for casual workers and the self-employed, though not as high as when considering total earnings.
- In 2023, male casual workers earned 23% more per hour than women, while the gap increased for the self-employed, reaching 87% in 2023.
Factors Influencing Hours of Work: The choice of working hours is influenced by various factors,
- Including social norms that require women to handle domestic and child-rearing duties.
- This can limit women's choices for full-time employment and lead to disparities in working hours.

About Periodic Labour Force Survey:

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is a comprehensive and recurring survey conducted by the Government of India through the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
The primary objective of the PLFS is to collect data related to labor force participation, employment, and unemployment in the country.
The survey aims to provide up-to-date and detailed information about the labor market in India, which is crucial for policymakers, researchers, and other stakeholders.