Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje led India's delegation at the 114th International Labour Conference (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, presenting the country's sweeping labour reforms and significant employment milestones to the global body. India highlighted the consolidation of 29 Central Labour Laws into four Labour Codes — a structural overhaul designed to simplify compliance, strengthen workers' welfare, and build a modern, transparent labour ecosystem guided by the principle of 'Antyodaya'.

Key Employment Gains Presented at the Conference

Addressing the Plenary Session, Karandlaje cited a series of labour market improvements over the past decade. Youth employability in India has climbed from 34 per cent in 2014 to over 56 per cent in 2025, according to the minister's address. Unemployment, meanwhile, fell from 6 per cent in 2017 to 3.1 per cent in 2025.

Notably, women's workforce participation registered a sharp rise — from 22 per cent to 38.8 per cent over the same period — a figure the delegation highlighted as a structural shift in India's labour landscape. The Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, aimed at boosting employment generation, was also presented as part of India's active labour market policy arsenal.

Social Protection Coverage Crosses 1 Billion Beneficiaries

In a bilateral meeting with Gilbert F. Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Karandlaje reaffirmed India's commitment to advancing decent work, social justice, and inclusive growth. She briefed Houngbo on the expansion of India's social protection coverage, which, according to preliminary ILO estimates, has reached 68.4 per cent of the total population — corresponding to 1,001 million beneficiaries.

Digital Public Goods and Bilateral Engagements

India spotlighted the National Career Service Portal and the e-Shram Portal as scalable Digital Public Goods, offering technical assistance and capacity-building support to partner nations for developing digital employment platforms. Karandlaje also held a bilateral with Christine Nkulikiyinka, Minister of Public Service and Labour of Rwanda, focusing on cooperation in employment services, skilling, workforce planning, and digital governance.

A separate meeting with Sri Lankan Labour Minister Anil Jayantha Fernando saw Sri Lanka express strong interest in India's four New Labour Codes and seek insights into their implementation. This comes amid broader efforts by India to position its labour reform model as a template for developing economies.

What the Four Labour Codes Mean

The consolidation of 29 Central Labour Laws into four codes — covering wages, industrial relations, social security, and occupational safety — is among the most significant restructuring of India's labour framework in decades. The stated aim is to reduce compliance burden for employers while expanding formal protections for workers, including those in the gig and informal economy. Full implementation across states, however, remains a work in progress.

As India continues to advocate its reform model on multilateral platforms, the focus will increasingly shift to whether the headline numbers translate into sustained, quality employment — particularly for women and youth entering the formal workforce.