Ministry of Labour & Employment
MoS Shobha Karandlaje Addresses Plenary Session at 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva; Highlights India’s Labour Reforms, Social Protection and Digital Public Infrastructure
Guided by the principle of ‘Antyodaya’, the Labour Codes simplify compliance, strengthen workers’ welfare and create a modern, transparent labour ecosystem: Sushri Karandlaje
MoS Karandlaje draws attention to rise in youth employability and women’s workforce participation in Plenary Address at 114th ILC
Discussions between MoS and DG, ILO underline rapid expansion in India’s social security coverage over past decade
प्रविष्टि तिथि:
11 JUN 2026 1:34PM by PIB Delhi
Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment, and Micro, Small & Medium Enterprises, Government of India, Ms. Shobha Karandlaje, led the Indian delegation at the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland.
Addressing the Plenary Session of the 114th International Labour Conference, the Union Minister congratulated the International Labour Organization on convening of the Conference and appreciated its continued leadership in promoting social justice and decent work amidst rapidly evolving global transformations.
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje highlighted that India has undertaken wide-ranging labour reforms guided by the principle of “Antyodaya” through consolidation of 29 Central Labour Laws into four Labour Codes to simplify compliance, strengthen workers’ welfare and create a modern and transparent labour ecosystem.
She further mentioned that Youth Employability has increased from 34% in 2014 to over 56% in 2025. Between 2017 and 2025, unemployment rate fell from 6% to 3.1%, and women’s workforce participation surged from 22% to 38.8%.
The Union Minister also laid emphasis on India’s progress in developing Digital Public Infrastructure in the labour and employment sector through the National Career Service Portal and the e-Shram Portal. The importance of international cooperation on skills and occupations and India’s ongoing feasibility study with the ILO on developing an international reference classification of occupations, was also highlighted.
She further enunciated the significant expansion of India’s social protection coverage, which as per preliminary estimates of ILO has reached around 1001 million. India’s increasing female labour force participation and the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to promote employment generation were also elucidated.
On the sidelines of the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva, Sushri Shobha Karandlaje held bilateral meeting with Amb. Christine Nkulikiyinka, Minister of Public Service & Labour of Rwanda.
The discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in employment services, skilling, workforce planning and digital governance. India highlighted the success of the National Career Service Portal and the e-Shram Portal as scalable Digital Public Goods and extended technical assistance and capacity-building support for developing digital platforms for employment services, worker registration, jobs and skill matching. Rwanda highlighted India’s impressive Digital Public Infrastructure & sought support on skills development and the journey from labour informalisation to formalisation.
She also held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Anil Jayantha Fernando, the Labour Minister of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka expressed strong interest in India’s labour reforms and sought insights on the successful implementation of the four New Labour Codes. The Indian delegation shared its experience, highlighting the reform roadmap, implementation modalities, and extensive stakeholder consultations that enabled this transformative journey.
Discussions also focused on collaboration in Digital Public Infrastructure, with India offering support through initiatives such as e-Shram and the National Career Service Portal to strengthen skilling, employment services, and workforce development.
The Union Minister also held a bilateral meeting with Mr. Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General, International Labour Organization (ILO). During the meeting, she reaffirmed India’s commitment to strengthening its partnership with the ILO in advancing decent work, social justice and inclusive growth. She apprised the Director-General of the expansion of India’s social protection coverage, which increased from 19% in 2015 to 64.3% in 2025, bringing 940 million people across the nation under the social security net.
Director General, ILO extended his appreciation for the significant rise in India’s social security coverage in a short span of time. He also highlighted that this coverage has seen further expansion over the past year, bringing an even greater percentage of the population under the ambit of social security.
The discussions focused on India’s landmark labour reforms through the four Labour Codes, expansion of social protection coverage, development of Digital Public Infrastructure in the labour and employment sector, future-oriented skilling initiatives and international labour mobility.
The Minister of State also appreciated the ILO’s technical cooperation with India, including support for the feasibility study on the development of an international reference classification of occupations. India’s commitment to working closely with the ILO to build inclusive, resilient and future-ready labour markets was also underlined.
At the high-level side event on “Global Dialogue on India’s New Labour Codes”, the Union Minister highlighted India’s comprehensive labour reforms through the four Labour Codes.
She further underlined that the reforms strengthen minimum wage protection, extend social security coverage to unorganized, gig and platform workers, reinforce occupational safety and health standards, promote gender equality and strengthen collective bargaining. India’s growing focus on international labour mobility through a coordinated whole-of-government approach linking skilling with global employment opportunities while ensuring safe, orderly and transparent migration pathways, was enunciated.
Sushri Shobha Karandlaje reaffirmed India’s commitment to working closely with the ILO and member States to promote decent work, strengthen worker protection, enhance global employability and build equitable, inclusive and future-ready labour market systems through international cooperation and social dialogue.
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Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander
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