New Delhi: The EPFO has added 13.40 lakh net members in March-2023, while during the financial year 2022-23, around 1.39 crore net members have been added with an increase of 13.22 per cent as compared to the previous financial year 2021-22, as per the provisional payroll data of EPFO released on May 20.

Out of 13.40 lakh members added during the month, around 7.58 lakh new members have come under the ambit of EPFO for the first time. Among the newly joined members, the highest enrolment is registered in the age-group of 18-21 years with 2.35 lakh members, followed by the age-group of 22-25 years with 1.94 lakh members.

The age-groups of 18-25 years constitute 56.60 per cent of total new members added during the month. This age-wise comparison of payroll data indicates that the majority of the members joining the organised sector workforce of the country are first-time job seekers.

The data also highlights that approximately 10.09 lakh members re-joined EPFO membership. These members switched their jobs and re-joined the establishments covered under EPFO and opted to transfer their accumulations instead of applying for final settlement thus, extending their social security protection.

The state-wise payroll figures highlight that month-on-month growing trend in net member addition is reflected in the states of Haryana, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Mizoram, etc. In terms of net member addition, the top five states are Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Haryana and Gujarat.

These states together constitute 58.68 per cent of net member addition during the month. Of all the states, Maharashtra is leading by adding 20.63 per cent of net members followed by the state of Tamil Nadu with 10.83 per cent during the month. /BI/