Rapid Fire
Adult Skill Assessment Survey, 2026
- 03 Jan 2026
- 2 min read
India is set to conduct its first nationwide assessment of adult skill competencies in 2026 to generate crucial data for tackling workforce challenges and harnessing the demographic dividend.
Adult Skill Assessment Survey
- Conducting Body: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) will conduct the survey using the Comprehensive Modular Survey (CMS) framework, at the request of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
- CMS enables the conduct of targeted, short-duration household surveys on specific topics (narrower in scope and shorter in duration) to address immediate policy needs of ministries and departments.
- Scope & Objective: It will cover the population aged 18 years and above (3-month survey), categorising their abilities into basic, intermediate, and advanced skill levels.
- Need of the Survey: The need is urgent as India’s working-age population (15-59 year) is projected to reach 68.9% by 2030. Presently, there is no dedicated data on overall skill levels in India.
- Data Gaps in Existing Surveys: The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) only records whether individuals have received vocational or technical training, not the quality or level of skills acquired. This limits the ability to assess workforce readiness accurately.
- Skill–Employability Mismatch: Nearly three-fourths of the employed population possess only basic education. Employability among graduates is just 54.8%, highlighting a serious mismatch between education outcomes and labour market needs.
- Trends in Vocational Training: The share of those aged 15–59 receiving vocational/technical training rose to 34.7% in 2023–24, up from 27.4% in 2022–23.
- However, rising participation has not translated proportionately into employability, reinforcing the need for skill-quality assessment.
| Read More: Restructuring Skill India Programme |
