Modernizing Labour Statistics: Integrating Gig Economy and Unpaid Care Work into PLFS Framework

The Indian labour market has undergone a paradigm shift, characterized by the rapid expansion of the platform economy and the persistent, yet often invisible, contribution of unpaid household work. Historically, conventional employment metrics have struggled to quantify these segments, leading to an incomplete understanding of labour underutilization and gender-based economic disparities. Recognizing this, the government is set to modify the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) to explicitly include parameters for gig and platform workers alongside a more granular assessment of unpaid domestic contributions. This policy intervention is crucial for structural economic planning. Currently, gig workers often fall into the grey area between self-employment and formal contractual employment, frequently lacking social security coverage. By formalizing their representation in national surveys, the government can better design targeted social protection schemes and labour regulations that account for the non-traditional nature of gig work. Furthermore, integrating unpaid household work—primarily performed by women—into the data framework is a significant step toward acknowledging the 'care economy.' This shift aligns with global best practices for measuring socio-economic progress, moving beyond simple GDP-centric models to a more inclusive assessment of economic participation.