Retirement fund body EPFO registered over 19 per cent growth year-on-year to 1.65 crore members in 2023-24, as per the latest payroll data, showing improvement in the employment situation in the country. "In last 6 and half years alone, more than 6.1 crore members joined the EPFO (Employees' Provident Fund Organisation) fold, indicating formalisation of the job market," a labour ministry official told PTI. The data shows that the EPFO had added 61.12 lakh net subscribers in 2018-19, which increased to 78.58 lakh in 2019-20. However, it dipped to 77.08 lakh in 2020-21, mainly due to the pandemic effect and improved again to 1.22 crore in 2021-22 and 1.38 crore in 2022-23. The official informed that the net subscribers addition by the body increased by over 19 per cent to 1.65 crore in 2023-24 compared to 1.38 crore in 2022-23. The net addition in EPFO subscriptions is an indicator of the extent of formalisation of the job market, and the coverage of social security benefits to the Read The Rest at :