Government to map NEETs by age in labour survey for targeted skilling push

NEW DELHI: The Government is planning to track NEET (Not in Employment, Education or Training) youth by age in the labour survey for smarter skilling policies. The ministry of skill development and entrepreneurship (MSDE) has successfully pushed for the inclusion of age-disaggregated NEET data in India’s flagship labour survey — the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS).Starting July 2025, the revamped survey will include new questions to better identify and support India’s disengaged youth and adult populations. Responding to the recommendations of Jayant Chaudhary, minister of state (independent charge) for skill development and entrepreneurship, ministry of statistics and programme implementation (MoSPI) confirmed that new PLFS rounds will include two questions: one to track whether individuals are undergoing any training, and another to record education or training attendance for the entire 0–59 age group.“We need to know who the NEETs are—not just in absolute numbers, but in terms of age brackets, vulnerability, and skill needs,” Chaudhary wrote in a letter dated February 5 to MoSPI.While the term "NEET" has long been used to describe those slipping through the cracks of the education and employment systems, it has rarely been dissected beyond a general statistic. This is seen as crucial for how India plans, executes, and evaluates its skilling strategies.

Responding to his Chaudhary's request, Rao Inderjit Singh, minister of state (independent charge), MoSPI confirmed on May 19 that new PLFS rounds will include two questions: one to track whether individuals are undergoing any training, and another to record education or training attendance for the entire 0–59 age group. The design was cleared after consultation with expert committees and MSDE to ensure methodological consistency.According to a senior MSDE official, the reform aligns with SDG 8 on decent work and economic growth and is critical for initiatives like Skill India Digital Hub and Apprenticeship Embedded Degree Programmes.Even a 1% shift in NEET status impacts over 2.6 million youth, and now, India is set to know exactly who and where they are.