MoSPI to track unpaid household work in revised labour force survey

The ministry has been collecting information on digital platform workers, a subset of gig workers, on an experimental basis since January 2026. “The question is intended to identify whether any member of the household has ever engaged in digital platform work during the specified reference period,” the ministry said. The PLFS will also track unpaid household work and caregiving activities for the first time.

“A substantial proportion of women in India spend considerable time on unpaid household and caregiving activities, such as cooking, cleaning, childcare and care of elderly, sick or disabled family members,” the ministry said. “While such activities contribute significantly to household well-being and facilitate the participation of other household members in paid employment, they have not been measured separately in PLFS until now.”

The Time Use Survey captures these activities, but it is not conducted annually. To bridge this gap and enable annual reporting through PLFS, the ministry will introduce specific questions to capture engagement in own-use production of goods, unpaid household and caregiving activities, volunteer work and unpaid trainee work. “This may provide a more nuanced picture of labour-market conditions by capturing different dimensions, with their estimates and related data to be considered for dissemination, as appropriate, following further examination and consultation,” the ministry said.

MoSPI has sought comments and suggestions from policymakers, researchers, academic and research institutions and members of the general public on the proposed modifications within 15 days.