Centre rolls out new survey to map job creation in the informal sector

What is the news?

The Union government has rolled out a nationwide survey, the Area Frame Establishment Survey (AFES), to map employment generation in the unorganized sector and establishments deploying less than 10 workers.

About Area Frame Establishment Survey

– The informal sector survey has also been designed by veteran labour economist and statistician S.P. Mukherjee.

– The labour bureau, the data and statistics wing of the Union labour ministry will collect samples from all states and present quarterly reports.

– This will be the second quarterly employment survey conducted by the labour ministry. The first survey tapped formal sector establishments employing 10 or more people. Both the quarterly surveys put together will collect data from around 150,000 small, medium, large and very large establishments.

Why we need such surveys?

– Data on all aspects of labour is crucial, and scientifically collected data is the bedrock of any evidence-based policymaking.

– A holistic view on jobs sector and employment generation will be beneficial in policymaking and in having a clear picture of the labour market.

Source: This post is based on the article “Centre rolls out new survey to map job creation in the informal sector” published in Livemint on 4th Oct 21.