PLFS 2026: NSO to Collect Data on Digital and Platform Workers

India’s upcoming Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2026 is likely to collect data on digital and platform-based workers for the first time. The National Statistical Office (NSO) conducts the survey under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), and the inclusion is used to estimate the size and characteristics of the gig economy and support labour-policy formulation.

PLFS 2026: Data on Digital and Platform Workers

Dimension	Key Details
Survey status	Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) is India’s official national survey used to track employment, unemployment, and labor market dynamics.
Conducting authority	PLFS is conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Nodal ministry	PLFS is governed by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
Key indicators measured	PLFS measures LFPR (percentage working or looking for work), WPR (employed percentage of the population), and UR (unemployed percentage in the active labor force).
Definition: Gig worker	Gig worker comprises a person earning income through short-term, flexible, or task-based work outside the traditional employer–employee relationship.
Definition: Platform worker	Platform worker comprises a gig worker who obtains work through an online platform, such as ride-hailing, food delivery, e-commerce, or home-service platforms.
Examples	Examples comprise drivers, delivery partners, online freelancers, and service providers.
Economic Survey 2025-26 observation	The Economic Survey 2025-26 notes a 55% increase in gig workers between FY2021 and FY2025.
NITI Aayog estimate	NITI Aayog has earlier estimated 7.7 million gig workers in 2020-21, with the number projected to rise substantially by 2029-30.
Challenges of platform work	Challenges comprise lack of traditional employer–employee relationship, limited access to social security, income instability, algorithmic management and rating-based work allocation, limited collective bargaining, and difficulty in accurately measuring the workforce.