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The National Statistics Office (NSO) released 'Labour Market Snapshot of Selected Districts' on 18 September 2026 — the first district-level labour indicators ever published from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).
District estimates became possible because the PLFS redesign of January 2025 made the district, not the NSS Region, the basic sampling stratum for most of the country.
Among the 100 most populous districts, Surat (Gujarat) recorded the highest LFPR (68.6%) and WPR (67.8%), and Darbhanga (Bihar) the lowest.
Ernakulam (Keralam) had the lowest youth NEET rate (9.6%); South Twenty-Four Parganas and Araria had the lowest unemployment rate (0.9%).
About 57.8% of districts recorded a female LFPR of 40% or above; over 98% of districts had LFPR and WPR within 40-80%.
Formed under an order of 23 May 2019 merging the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO); conducts PLFS and other large sample surveys
India's main labour-force survey, launched by NSSO in April 2017
| Aspect | Before 2025 | From January 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Basic stratum | NSS Region — not designed for district estimates | District, for most of the geographical area |
| Survey cycle | July-June (agricultural year) | January-December (calendar year), matching international practice |
| Monthly estimates | None | LFPR, WPR, UR for rural and urban India in CWS |
| Quarterly CWS results | Urban only | Rural and urban |
| Annual estimates | Usual status and CWS | Usual status (ps+ss) and CWS, rural and urban |
Usual status looks back 365 days: principal status is the activity taking most time; subsidiary status counts economic work of 30 days or more. Current Weekly Status looks back only 7 days, so it captures short-term, seasonal swings.
Simple Analogy: Usual status is your yearly report card; CWS is last week's class test.
NSSO launches PLFS
Order merges CSO and NSSO into NSO under MoSPI
PLFS sampling revamped; district becomes basic stratum; calendar-year cycle
First district-level labour market snapshot released
GS Paper 3 > Indian Economy > Employment; Prelims > Economic and Social Development
General Awareness > Economy > Reports and Surveys
General Awareness > Economy > Official Data Releases
Percentage of population working or seeking/available for work
Percentage of population that is employed
Share of persons not in employment, education or training
Economic activity for 30 days or more in the 365-day reference period, besides the principal status