UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Female LFPR and WPR recorded a yearly high in December, 2025 Overall Unemployment Rate broadly stable

Q1. With reference to the origins of the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), consider the following statements: Which of the above is/are NOT correct?

  1. PLFS was launched in April 2017 by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under MoSPI.
  2. It replaced the quinquennial NSSO Employment-Unemployment Surveys.
  3. The last of the NSSO Employment-Unemployment Surveys it replaced was conducted in 2011-12.
  4. The first PLFS Annual Report covered the calendar year January–December 2018.
  • A. 1 and 2
  • B. 2 and 3
  • C. 3 only
  • D. 4 only

Q2. The NSSO Employment-Unemployment Surveys that the Periodic Labour Force Survey replaced were 'quinquennial'. This means they were conducted at regular intervals of how many years?

  • A. 3 years
  • B. 4 years
  • C. 5 years
  • D. 10 years

Q3. With reference to the changes introduced in the Periodic Labour Force Survey from January 2025, consider the following statements: Which of the above is/are correctly identified?

  1. Under the revamped rotational panel scheme, each selected household is visited four times over four consecutive months.
  2. Monthly all-India Current Weekly Status estimates now cover both rural and urban areas.
  3. Quarterly estimates now cover both rural and urban areas.
  4. Monthly bulletins present estimates only for the urban sector.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 1 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2, 3 and 4

Q4. Comparing the pre-2025 and the revamped (post-January 2025) Periodic Labour Force Survey designs, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The pre-revamp quarterly bulletin gave estimates only for urban areas, whereas the post-revamp quarterly estimates cover both rural and urban areas.
  2. The pre-revamp design visited each household four times, whereas the revamped design visits each household only once.
  3. The revamped design produces monthly all-India Current Weekly Status estimates, which the pre-revamp design did not.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Comparing the Usual Status and Current Weekly Status reference frameworks used in the Periodic Labour Force Survey, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Usual Status uses a reference period of the 365 days preceding the survey, while Current Weekly Status uses the 7 days preceding the survey.
  2. Under Current Weekly Status, a person is counted as employed only if he/she worked on all seven days of the reference week.
  3. The Worker Population Ratio is the percentage of employed persons in the population, whereas the Unemployment Rate is the percentage of unemployed persons among those in the labour force.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q6. The Periodic Labour Force Survey, which generates the official Current Weekly Status estimates of LFPR, WPR and UR, is conducted by which one of the following bodies?

  • A. National Statistical Office (NSO), MoSPI
  • B. National Statistical Commission
  • C. Labour Bureau, Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • D. Central Board of Direct Taxes, Ministry of Finance

Q7. The December 2025 Periodic Labour Force Survey Monthly Bulletin, which reported a yearly-high female LFPR, was released under the authority of which one of the following ministries?

  • A. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
  • B. Ministry of Labour and Employment
  • C. Ministry of Finance
  • D. Ministry of Rural Development

Q8. Comparing the December 2025 Current Weekly Status estimates with those of November 2025 as reported in the PLFS Monthly Bulletin, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Overall LFPR rose from 55.8% in November 2025 to 56.1% in December 2025.
  2. The overall Unemployment Rate fell from 4.8% in November 2025 to 4.7% in December 2025.
  3. Female LFPR rose to 35.3% in December 2025, a yearly high, from 35.1% in November 2025.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q9. According to PLFS Annual Reports, by approximately how many percentage points did the female Labour Force Participation Rate (usual status) rise between 2017-18 and 2023-24?

  • A. About 12 percentage points
  • B. About 18 percentage points
  • C. About 24 percentage points
  • D. About 30 percentage points

Q10. Comparing women's employment indicators between 2017-18 and 2023-24 as reported in the PLFS Annual Reports, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Female LFPR (usual status) rose from 23.3% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24.
  2. The share of self-employed women among employed women rose from 51.9% in 2017-18 to 67.4% in 2023-24.
  3. The share of women in regular salaried jobs rose from 15.9% in 2017-18 to 21% in 2023-24.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q11. Among the following three sources of employment-related data — the Periodic Labour Force Survey, the Annual Survey of Industries and the Economic Census — how many are based on surveying/enumerating establishments rather than households?

  • A. One
  • B. Two
  • C. Three
  • D. None