Work Participation Rate UPSC relevant

The census defines 'work' as participation in any economically productive activity, with or without compensation, during the reference period of one year preceding enumeration; unpaid work on a family farm or enterprise counts. In Census 2011 the WPR was about 40 per cent. WPR is the census's headline labour indicator and, unlike survey-based labour-force rates, is available for every village and town and for every social group.

Census 2027's economic questions (part of the 40-question Household Schedule notified on August 14, 2026) will produce the first full-count WPR in 16 years — critical for tracking female labour-force participation at local level.