National Sample Survey 2011-2012 (68th round) - Schedule 10 - Employment and Unemployment

Objective of the survey on employment and unemployment:

The basic objective of the employment-unemployment surveys of NSSO is to get estimates of the employment and unemployment characteristics at national and State level. The statistical indicators on labour market are required for planning, policy and decision making at various levels, both within government and outside. Some of the important uses of these indicators include use by the Planning Commission in evolving employment strategy, use by National Accounts Division in estimating gross domestic product using sector wise workforce participation, and use by various researchers to analyse the condition of the labour market. In this context, it may be mentioned that data collected in NSS employment-unemployment surveys was widely used by the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), 2009. In NSS 68th round, information on various facets of employment and unemployment will be collected in Schedule 10 (Employment and Unemployment) from all the members of the selected households.

The critical issues in the context of labour force enquiries pertain to defining the labour force and measuring participation of labour force in different economic activities. The activity participation of the people is not only dynamic but also multidimensional; it varies with region, age, education, gender, industry and occupational category. These aspects of the labour force will be captured in detail in the present survey on employment and unemployment. Major types of information that will be collected in this round relate to activity status, industry, occupation and earning from employment for the employees along with education particulars, etc. Besides, the survey will also provide insight into the informal sector and informal employment. Information will be collected from the workers about the type of enterprises in which they were engaged and conditions of employment for the employees. Using the data collected from employment and unemployment surveys, indicators will be generated on labour force participation rate, worker population ratio, unemployment rates, employment in the informal sector, informal employment, wages of employees, etc.

Description:

The survey on employment and unemployment is the prime source of estimates of various parameters of labour force and activity participation of the population. The first quinquennial survey on employment - unemployment, carried out by the NSSO in the 27th round (September 1972 - October 1973), made a marked departure from the earlier employment surveys of NSSO in procedure and content. The concepts and procedures followed in this survey were primarily based on the recommendations of the 'Expert Committee on Unemployment Estimates' (1970). Since then, the seven successive quinquennial surveys conducted in the 32nd, 38th, 43rd, 50th, 55th, 61st and 66th rounds have, more or less, followed an identical approach in the measurement of employment and unemployment. The basic approach (in all these seven quinquennial surveys) had been the collection of data to generate the estimates of employment and unemployment according to the 'usual status' based on a reference period of one year, the 'current weekly status' based on a reference period of one week, and the 'current daily status' based on each day of the seven days preceding the date of survey. In order to reveal the multi-dimensional aspects of the employment-unemployment situation in India, information on several correlates were also gathered in these surveys. Sets of probing questions on some of these aspects had also been one of the basic features of these surveys. In NSS 68th round (July 2011- June 2012), detailed information on employment-unemployment was collected in the same way as was done in the last quinquennial survey, i.e., in NSS 66th round.

A Working Group was set up for the purpose of finalising the survey methodology and schedules of enquiry of the 68th round. Considering all the aspects of current data demand and usefulness of the survey results, the Group has suggested a few improvisations, additions and deletions in the content of the schedule of enquiry for the present survey. The major changes made in the schedule for employment and unemployment survey vis-à-vis the previous quinquennial survey (NSS 66th round) are given below:

a) Block 3:

1. In NSS 66th round survey, along with the information on 'whether the household has NREG job card', information was collected on 'whether got work in NREG works during the last 365 days', 'number of days worked' and 'mode of payment'. In NSS 68th round for rural households, information on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee (MGNREG) works was collected on the following:
   i. whether the household has MGNREG job card
   ii. number of MGNREG job cards issued to the household
   iii. whether any member of the household has any bank/post office account
   Information on the last two items (viz., ii & iii) will be collected from the households which have got MGNREG job card.
2. Household type codes and procedure for determination of household type codes in rural areas have been modified.

b) Block 3.1: In this block information on indebtedness of rural labour households was collected in NSS 66th round. This Block was not canvassed in NSS 68th round.

c) Block 4:
i. Instead of collecting information on 'whether currently registered with employment exchange' for persons of age 15-45 years as was done in NSS 66th round, information was collected for the same age group on 'whether currently registered with any placement agency'.
ii. In NSS 66th round, for vocational training, detailed information was collected on 'duration of training', 'source from which degree/diploma/certificate received' and 'whether the vocational training was ever helpful in getting a job'. In NSS 68th round, collection of information on vocational training was restricted only to 'whether receiving/received any vocational training' and 'field of training'.
iii. For persons of age 18 years and above in rural households with MGNREG job card, information was collected on 'whether registered in any MGNREG job card' and, for those who were registered in any MGNREG job card 'whether worked in MGNREG work during last 365 days'. Such information was not collected in NSS 66th round.

d) Block 5.1/5.2:
i. Information on 'seeking or available or suitable for the type of occupation' which was collected in NSS 66th round in Block 5.1 from the non-workers of age below 75 years, was not collected.
ii. The probing questions to the self-employed persons in the usual status (Block 5.1/5.2) to identify Home Based Workers have been deleted.

e) Block 5.3:
i. In this block, for those who were unemployed on all the 7 days of the week, information was also collected on 'duration of present spell of unemployment'. In NSS 66th round, this question was placed in Block 6. Except retaining this item in Block 5.3, Block 6 of NSS 66th round on follow-up questions for persons unemployed on all the 7 days of the week has been deleted.

f) Block 6 (Block 7.1/7.2 of NSS 66th round):
i. Block 7.1 and Block 7.2 have been restructured by deleting some of the items and a new block (Block 6) has been formed in NSS 68th round.
ii. Questions on remunerativeness of the earning from self-employment which were asked in NSS 66th round in Block 7.1 to the self-employed persons in principal status and/or subsidiary status have been deleted. These were, 'do you regard the current earning from self-employment as remunerative?' and 'what amount per month would you regard as remunerative?'.
iii. Information was collected in NSS 66th round in Block 7.2 on some aspects of labour mobility, such as, whether changed establishment, status, industry, occupation during the period of last two years. Information on these items was not collected in NSS 68th round.
iv. The three items of Block 7.2 of NSS 66th round which have been retained in NSS 68th round are placed in Block 6. These are:

1. Is there any union/association in your activity?
2. Whether a member of union/association
3. Nature of employment