ASUSE to Track Women Entrepreneurs’ Challenges, Shift to FY Cycle in 2027

The government’s Annual Survey of Unincorporated Sector Enterprises (ASUSE) will undergo significant updates aimed at better capturing the obstacles faced by women entrepreneurs and aligning its reporting period with the financial year starting April 2027, according to the National Statistics Office (NSO).

For the first time, ASUSE will incorporate questions designed to reveal specific challenges encountered by female-led businesses. These questions are intended to provide data that can support a deeper understanding of the barriers that women entrepreneurs face in establishing and managing their enterprises.

The NSO emphasized that the introduction of gender-focused queries is a step toward closing a data gap on female entrepreneurs’ difficulties. This enhanced information will serve as a valuable resource for policymakers and analysts examining women’s participation in the economy and the factors influencing their business operations.

Until now, ASUSE has tracked unincorporated businesses based on the calendar year, spanning January to December. The upcoming 2027-28 edition will shift to cover the period from April 2027 through March 2028. This change will synchronize ASUSE with other major enterprise surveys such as the Annual Survey of Industries (ASI) and the Annual Survey of Incorporated Services Sector Enterprises (ASISSE), both of which follow the April-March financial year cycle.

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) explained that this alignment is expected to improve the integration of ASUSE data with other economic statistics that are reported on a financial year basis. To ensure continuity and avoid data gaps during the transition, the quarter from January to March 2027 will be surveyed using the existing questionnaire format from the 2026 round.

The NSO has already published the draft questionnaire for the 2027-28 survey on the ministry’s official website. In addition to the gender-specific questions, the draft includes new items related to energy consumption, such as the sources of electricity used by establishments. This is intended to paint a clearer picture of energy arrangements within the unincorporated sector.

Another notable addition is a question concerning investment in fixed assets over an extended reference period. This will offer a broader view of investment trends among businesses that are not formally incorporated. Analysts expect this change to improve the survey’s usefulness for understanding investment behavior in this segment of the economy.

Responding to a request from the Ministry of Textiles, the updated survey also adds specific questions to identify establishments involved in handloom, power-loom, and handicraft production. This will help tailor policy measures and support programs for these traditional sectors.

The Ministry of Statistics highlighted that these updates aim to enhance the policy relevance of ASUSE while maintaining its role as a crucial source of official statistics on unincorporated non-agricultural enterprises. Since its inception in 2021-22, ASUSE has provided essential data about the characteristics and economic activities of unincorporated businesses, contributing significantly to economic analysis, policymaking, and national accounts.

Overall, the planned improvements to ASUSE reflect a growing focus on inclusivity and detailed economic measurement. By better capturing the experiences of women entrepreneurs and aligning survey timelines with other economic data collections, the government seeks to strengthen the foundation for informed policy decisions that support business growth and economic development.