What are key recommendations of the NITI Aayog’s Task Force on Improving Employment Data?

In the previous question, we have discussed that there are too many surveys and data collection agencies but none of them is able to collect frequent, regular and relevant labour market data in India. Most of the current discussion and debate around jobs and growth takes place in the absence of accurate data.

In view of importance of timely and reliable data on employment, a task force was created under the chairmanship of former Vice Chairman, NITI Aayog Dr. Arvind Panagriya. The draft recommendations of this task force are in public domain. The crux of these recommendations is as follows:

• A central facility on the lines of RBI should be created to collate data concerning employment from different ministries.
• Household survey, which is currently held every five years, should be conducted on an annual basis.
• Annual Survey of Industries should be discontinued and replaced by annual enterprise survey using enterprises registered with the Goods and Services Tax Network (GSTN) as the sample frame.
• Use of technology be enhanced to reduce the time taken in data collection and processing.
• Data of Employee Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), Employee State Insurance (ESI) and National Pension Scheme (NPS) should be used to formulate a better picture of employment scenario.