From coming March, the government will launch a new quarterly employment survey that will amalgamate two existing surveys – the Quarterly Employment Survey (QES) and the Area Frame Establishment Survey (AFES). The new survey will be re-christened the All India Quarterly Base Establishment Survey (AIQBES).

The new survey will aim at plugging the assessment gaps in understanding the real employment situation in the country, as per TOI. A senior labor bureau official leading the efforts said that the existing surveys had a limited scope and covers only a few formal sector establishments while being restricted to covering those that employed more than 10 persons.

The new survey, in the contrary, will seek to include informal establishments. It will cover those with less than 10 employees, and effect a 10-fold increase in sample size. D P S Negi, Chief Labour Commissioner, said that the government considered it important to scale up the sample size so that a comprehensive employment survey is conducted. This would reflect the correct picture of employment in the country.