Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Ms. Shobha Karandlaje led the Indian delegation at the 114th International Labour Conference in Geneva, where she presented India's transformative labour reforms and employment achievements. India has consolidated 29 Central Labour Laws into four Labour Codes to simplify compliance, strengthen worker welfare, and create a modern labour ecosystem guided by the principle of "Antyodaya".
Key employment metrics showed significant improvement: Youth Employability increased from 34% in 2014 to over 56% in 2025, while the unemployment rate fell from 6% in 2017 to 3.1% in 2025. Women's workforce participation surged from 22% to 38.8% during the same period. India's social protection coverage expanded dramatically, reaching approximately 1001 million beneficiaries according to preliminary ILO estimates, representing 68.4% of the total population.
India highlighted its Digital Public Infrastructure in the labour sector, including the National Career Service Portal and e-Shram Portal. The country is conducting a feasibility study with the ILO on developing an international reference classification of occupations. The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana was launched to promote employment generation.
On the sidelines of the conference, India held bilateral meetings with several countries. With Rwanda, discussions focused on employment services, skilling, workforce planning, and digital governance, with India offering technical assistance for developing digital platforms. With Sri Lanka, discussions centered on India's labour reforms implementation, with Sri Lanka expressing strong interest in learning from India's experience. The meeting with ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo reaffirmed India's commitment to partnership in advancing decent work, social justice, and inclusive growth.
At a high-level side event on "Global Dialogue on India's New Labour Codes", the Minister emphasized that the reforms strengthen minimum wage protection, extend social security to unorganized, gig and platform workers, reinforce occupational safety standards, promote gender equality, and strengthen collective bargaining. India also highlighted its focus on international labour mobility through a coordinated approach linking skilling with global employment opportunities.