A question of jobs

Better labour market data are needed, urgently

Policymakers in India frequently have to make decisions that they hope will influence variables such as the number of jobs created, the relative purchasing power of agricultural workers and land-holders, and so on. However, worryingly, the data that are generally used to address these questions have gaps in their timing, or are incomplete in their coverage. It is welcome, therefore, that the government has chosen to move forward with an attempt to remedy this situation. The vice-chairperson of the NITI Aayog, Arvind Panagariya, recently said that a task force created last month would prioritise commissioning household-level surveys; he mentioned, specifically,