As per the latest data released from a report by the National Statistical Office (NSO). About 11.58 lakh new members joined the ESIC-run social security scheme in February 2021 as against 11.78 lakh in the previous month, giving a view on formal sector employment in the country.

Gross new enrolments with the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) were 8.87 lakh in June 2020, 4.89 lakh in May and 2.63 lakh in April, recording the increment in enrolments after the easing of the lockdown. In July 2020, gross enrolments dropped to 7.63 lakh but later improved to 9.5 lakh in August, 11.58 lakh in September, and 12.11 lakh in October 2020, fell to 9.56 lakh in November 2020, improved to 12.30 lakh in December 2020, dipping to 11.78 lakh in January and further to 11.58 lakh in February this year. The NSO report pointed out the gross enrolments of new subscribers with ESIC being 1.51 crore in 2019-20, as compared to 1.49 crore in 2018-19.  Continuing that from September 2017 to March 2018, approximately 83.35 lakh new subscribers had joined the ESIC scheme. The report stated the gross new enrolments with ESIC from September 2017 to February 2021 to be 4.86 crores.

The NSO report is created based on the payroll data of new subscribers of several social security schemes run by ESIC, EPFO, and PFRDA (Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority), and has been publishing data of these bodies since April 2018. According to the report, net new enrolments with retirement fund body EPFO stood at 12.37 lakh in February, up from 11.95 lakh in January 2021. It showed that from September 2017 to February 2021, around 4.11 crore gross new subscribers joined the Employees' Provident Fund scheme. The NSO also announced that the report gives different views on the levels of employment in the formal sector and does not measure employment at a holistic level.