The National Sample Survey. Number 8. Report on Preliminary Survey of Urban Unemployment. September 1953

The towns having a population of less than 50 000 were left out of the sample mainly on eonsiderations of time and economy occasioned by the fact that the NSS could spare its investigating staff for this preliminary survey only for a short period of about four weeks during the interval between the completion of its sixth round and the commencement of the seventh round. [...] This preliminary survey of unemployment in urban areas conducted by the National Sample Survey during September 1953 was in the nature of a trout intended to reveal the problems and difficulties likely to arise in an investigtion of this type and to enable on the basis of experience gained the development of suitable concepts and the framing of proper design for carrying out similar samp [...] A comparison has been made in the following Table between the age distribution of population covered in the survey with the age distribution of the population in urban India according to the 1951 Census sample tabulation after adjusting for the different age-groups adopted in the present survey and the Census. [...] This will be in the nature of a brief introduction to the 'labour force' which is of main interest in the present enquiry and to a detailed consideration of which the whole of the Chaprer Four is devoted. [...] The topics covered are trends of migration and their influence on employment the structure of the labour force the pattern of employment and income in different industries the extent of unemployment and underemployment the qualifications expectations and preferences of the uemployed the attitude of the unemployed to registration with Employment Exchanges.