Ministry of Labour & Employment
India’s intervention in Employment Working Group
(EWG) in First G20 Employment Working Group
Meeting under South African Presidency
Secretary (L&E) outlines India’s achievement in
leveraging technology and presented case studies
on NCS and e-Shram portal as global best practices
Bilateral held with ILO & OECD to expedite the
feasibility study on International reference
Classification of Occupations and Skills
Bilateral held with Germany on collaboration in the
field of AI and its impact on Jobs, OSH related
knowledge exchange and strengthening labour
administration under Joint Declaration of Intent
Bilateral held with Netherlands on living wages and
its alignment with India’s Multidimensional Poverty
index
Posted On: 21 FEB 2025 4:22PM by PIB Delhi
The first G20 Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting under South African Presidency concluded today
on 21st Feb, 2025 at Port Elizabeth, South Africa. The EWG priorities (i) Inclusive Growth & Youth
Empowerment and (ii) Social Security & Digitalisation for an Inclusive Future of Work, as was discussed in
the working sessions of EWG meeting.
During the four-days, delegates of G20 Members and invited states made interventions and presentations on
key focus areas of the G20 Labour & Employment track. Ms. Sumita Dawra, Secretary (Labour &
Employment) led the Indian delegation and made interventions from Indian side on both the priorities.
Secretary took an evidence-based approach on increased social security coverage in India, rising workforce in
employment, as well as presented case studies on NCS and eShram to emphasize harnessing of technology by
India for labour welfare.
Secretary Labour highlighted India’s transformative use of technology to (i) onboard workers in unorganised
sector and build a national database on EShram, and further utilise the portal for building access of workers to
various social security schemes; (ii) Use of National Career Service (NCS) Portal to bridge the supply-
demand in labour market through convergence of various stakeholders- employers, job-seekers, counselling
and skilling services, etc. Case studies were presented on both EShram and NCS, both of which drew much
interest of delegates of G20 member states on India’s strides in harnessing technology for the labour market.
Case Study 1: eShram Portal
India presented the eShram Portal as a case study, showcasing its role as a comprehensive national database
for unorganized and platform workers, for ensuring seamless access to social security benefits as a ‘one-stop-
solution.’ Available in 22 languages and powered by Bhashini, the portal assigns a Universal Account
Number (UAN) to each worker, enhancing transparency and accountability. Further, the platform workers’
module, launched on December 12, 2024, enables aggregators to onboard workers and share engagement
details, facilitating intelligent mapping to their employers. This initiative strengthens last-mile delivery of
social security benefits, empowering millions in the informal sector and exemplifying India’s commitment to
leveraging technology for inclusive welfare.
Case Study 2: National Career Service (NCS) Portal
India’s effort on leveraging technology to bridge the Jobs-Skills gap was presented through case study on
NCS Portal. The Portal had mobilized over 440 million vacancies and registered 4 million employers,
bridging the gap between job seekers and employers. NCS is also integrated with the Skill India Digital Hub
(SIDH). Upskilling initiatives in green jobs, AI, and the platform economy were prioritized to meet future
workforce demands. The QS World Future Skills Index 2025 recognized India’s strength in ‘ready-to-recruit’
markets for digital, AI and green jobs.
Bilateral with ILO, OECD
Follow-up on India’s G20 2023 Presidency with respect to developing an international framework for
mutual recognition of skills and qualifications has been prioritised by the delegation. Accordingly, on the
side-lines of 1st G20 EWG meeting, India held bilateral discussions with ILO, OECD and Germany regarding
skill gap mapping feasibility study, its work plan and time-lines.
Secretary briefed on the latest updates regarding funding, status of agreement with ILO to complete the study,
and collaboration with concerned stakeholders. It was agreed that feasibility study will focus on three key
sectors: IT, Green Jobs, and Care-related roles.
Given India’s demographic dividend, and the projection of India to increasingly meet incremental global
workforce requirements over the next decade, this study assumes great significance for facilitation of
international mobility of qualified Indians.
Bilateral with Netherlands
A bilateral discussion was held with the Netherlands, focusing on India’s Multidimensional Poverty Index
(MPI) and its alignment with global efforts to address poverty through the concept of ‘Living Wages,’ thus
improving living standards. Collaboration with the Netherlands and the ILO was highlighted as critical to
advancing living wages, with proposals for exchange of best practices and technical discussion on estimation
of living wages. India reiterated its dedication to collaborating with international partners to advance decent
work, sustainable wage systems, and enhanced livelihoods for workers.
Bilateral with Germany
During bilateral discussion with Germany, the importance of the Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI) entered by
India with Germany in the month of October 2024 was highlighted. The JDoI is important for enhancing
cooperation in work in global supply chains, human-centric AI and its impact on Jobs, developing Gig
economy, a global skills referencing framework, etc. India reaffirmed its commitment to deepening
collaboration with Germany, fostering innovative projects and a shared vision for an inclusive and equitable
future of work.
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Himanshu Pathak
(Release ID: 2105272)
