Nearly 9.33 lakh new members joined the ESIC-run social security scheme in November against 11.99 lakh in the previous month, official data showed on Monday, giving perspective on formal sector employment in the country. The latest data is part of a report released by the National Statistical Office (NSO).
Gross new enrolments with the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) were 8.87 lakh in June, 4.89 lakh in May and 2.63 lakh in April, showing the increase in enrolments after easing of the lockdown, the latest data showed. In July, gross enrolments dipped to 7.63 lakh but improved to 9.5 lakh in August and 11.58 lakh in September 2020.
The government had imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 25 to contain the spread of coronavirus infections. Later, restrictions were eased for various economic activities in phases. In March, as many as 8.21 lakh new members had joined the scheme, against 11.83 lakh subscribers in February, according to the payroll data released in May 2020.
The NSO report showed that gross enrolments of new subscribers with ESIC were 1.51 crore in 2019-20, compared to 1.49 crore in the previous fiscal. During September 2017 - March 2018, around 83.35 lakh new subscribers had joined the ESIC scheme.
The report said gross new enrolments with ESIC from September 2017 to November 2020 period were 4.5 crore. The NSO report is based on the payroll data of new subscribers of various social security schemes run by ESIC, the Employees' Provident Fund Organization (EPFO) and the Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA).
It has been releasing such data of these bodies since April 2018, covering the period starting from September 2017. According to the report, net new enrolments with retirement fund body EPFO stood at 10.10 lakh in November, down from 10.56 lakh in October 2020.
It showed that during September 2017 - November 2020, around 3.85 crore (gross) new subscribers joined the Employees' Provident Fund scheme. The report titled 'Payroll Reporting in India: An Employment Perspective - November 2020' said that since the number of subscribers is from various sources, there are elements of overlap and the estimates are not additive.
NSO said the report gives different perspectives on the levels of employment in the formal sector and does not measure employment at a holistic level.
