Employment levels rise sharply since 2017 as Centre pushes jobs, skills and labour reforms

India has recorded a steady rise in employment levels over the past several years, according to official data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The survey, which has been carried out annually since 2017–18, covering the period from July to June, indicates a consistent improvement in labour market outcomes.

As per the latest available Annual PLFS Report for 2023–24, the Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above increased from 46.8 per cent in 2017–18 to 58.2 per cent in 2023–24, reflecting a clear upward trend in employment across the country.

Employment generation, along with improving employability, remains a key priority for the Central Government. In this direction, multiple employment generation schemes and programmes are being implemented across sectors to create sustainable livelihood opportunities. These initiatives are complemented by large-scale skill development efforts under the Skill India Mission (SIM), led by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship.

Through an extensive nationwide network of skill development centres, the Skill India Mission provides skill, re-skill and up-skill training under schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and the Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) implemented through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs). The mission aims to prepare India’s youth with industry-relevant and future-ready skills across all sections of society.

To strengthen support for workers in the unorganised sector, the Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the e-Shram portal in August 2021 to create a comprehensive national database of unorganised workers, including migrant, gig and platform workers. Registered workers are issued a Universal Account Number (UAN) on a self-declaration basis. The Ministry has further expanded the platform into e-Shram One-Stop Solution, integrating multiple social security and welfare schemes, enabling registered workers to access benefits and track their entitlements through a single digital portal.

Major structural reforms in labour governance have also been undertaken with the formulation of four Labour Codes—the Code on Wages (2019), the Industrial Relations Code (2020), the Code on Social Security (2020), and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code (2020). These codes, which came into force nationwide on 21 November 2025, subsume and rationalise provisions from 29 earlier Central Labour Acts. The reforms aim to simplify compliance, reduce multiplicity of authorities, enhance transparency through technology, and at the same time strengthen protections for workers, including those in the unorganised sector.

The Ministry of Labour and Employment is also operating the National Career Service (NCS) Portal, a digital one-stop platform offering job listings from government and private sectors, job fairs, career counselling, vocational guidance and access to skill development programmes. To expand employment opportunities, the ministry has signed over 35 Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with public and private employers and platforms, including Swiggy, Zomato, Amazon, and Zepto, facilitating access to gig and platform-based jobs through the NCS portal.

The NCS portal has been integrated with the e-Shram database, which now includes over 31 crore unorganised workers. This integration allows e-Shram registrants to directly access job search and employment-related services available on the NCS platform.

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In addition, the government has launched the Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme, named the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, to further boost employment generation and social security. With an outlay of Rs 99,446 crore, the scheme aims to incentivise the creation of more than 3.5 crore jobs over two years, with special emphasis on the manufacturing sector.

Together, rising employment indicators, skill development initiatives, labour reforms, and digital platforms reflect a comprehensive government approach to strengthening India’s labour market and supporting inclusive economic growth.