**Executive Summary**
The Second BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting concluded on May 7, 2026, in Thiruvananthapuram under India’s 2026 BRICS Presidency. The two-day event focused on four thematic areas: social protection, women’s workforce participation, skills development, and digital technologies. Member states committed to building inclusive, resilient, and future-ready labour markets through coordinated action and shared knowledge.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Social Security and Formalisation**
* Progressively expand social protection coverage to all forms of work through contributory and non-contributory mechanisms.
* Focus on extending social protection benefits to informal, gig, and platform workers to address common labour market challenges.
**Women’s Workforce Participation**
* Recognize the female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) as a vital parameter for economic resilience and productivity.
* Prioritize closing gender gaps in labour markets to ensure inclusive development.
**Employability and Skills Development**
* Emphasize the importance of lifelong learning, vocational training, and improving skills-to-jobs matching.
* Develop a "common language" for skills and qualifications, supported by India’s ongoing feasibility study on the reference classification of occupations in collaboration with the ILO.
**Digital Technologies and Labour**
* Leverage digitalization to improve transparency and enable the inclusive delivery of social protection and employment services.
* Ensure digital transformation remains worker-centric, inclusive, and equitable while addressing emerging risks for gig and platform workers.
* Exchange best practices regarding registration systems, data-driven governance, and technology-enabled benefit delivery.
**Knowledge Sharing and Initiatives**
* Utilize peer learning to address shared challenges, highlighting specific national programs such as:
* **India:** National Career Service (NCS) and e-Shram.
* **Egypt:** Mobile training units.
* **UAE:** Wage Protection System and unemployment insurance scheme.
* **Brazil:** Equal Pay Law.
**Impact Analysis**
**BRICS Member Countries**
**Impact:** These nations are positioned to align their labour policies with a collective vision of resilience and sustainability.
**Action Required:** Strengthen knowledge-sharing mechanisms and implement coordinated actions to address evolving skill requirements and social protection gaps.
**Informal and Gig Workers**
**Impact:** They are the primary targets for expanded social protection and improved service delivery through digital transformation.
**Action Required:** Utilize new registration systems and technology-enabled benefit delivery mechanisms as they are implemented.
**Women in the Labour Force**
**Impact:** Women are identified as a critical demographic for boosting national productivity and economic resilience.
**Action Required:** Benefit from targeted policy interventions aimed at closing gender gaps and increasing participation rates.
**International Knowledge Partners (ILO, ISSA, UN India)**
**Impact:** These organizations serve as technical advisors and facilitators for cross-border labour standards and studies.
**Action Required:** Continue collaborating with member states on technical initiatives, such as the reference classification of occupations, and provide global best practices.
Key Entities Referenced
BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG): The primary forum where BRICS member nations deliberated on labor issues, social protection, and digital transformation in the workforce.
India’s BRICS Presidency 2026: The leadership framework and theme ('Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability') under which the meeting was conducted.
e-Shram: An Indian digital initiative for the registration and welfare of unorganized workers, presented as a best practice for social protection delivery.
National Career Service (NCS): An Indian government portal providing employment-related services, highlighted as an innovative initiative for labor market improvement.
International Labour Organization (ILO): A global knowledge partner collaborating with India on a feasibility study for the reference classification of occupations and skills.
Ministry of Labour & Employment
2nd BRICS Employment Working Group Meeting
Concludes in Thiruvananthapuram
Inspired by the theme of India’s BRICS Chairship of 2026-
Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and
Sustainability
Constructive discussions held for two days focusing on 4
thematic areas related to Labour & Employment issues
relevant to BRICS nations
Deliberations Focus on Advancing Cooperation on Digital
Technologies, Social Protection, and Women's Workforce
Participation, and Strengthening Skills Development
Posted On: 07 MAY 2026 7:48PM by PIB Delhi
The Second BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting under India's BRICS Presidency
successfully concluded today in Thiruvananthapuram. The meeting was firmly anchored in the theme of
India’s BRICS Presidency of 2026- Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability.The meeting witnessed two days of intensive and productive deliberations and brought together
distinguished delegates from BRICS member countries, knowledge partners including the International
Labour Organization (ILO), International Social Security Association (ISSA), and United Nations India,
as well as representatives from India's Ministry of External Affairs and Ministry of Skill Development and
Entrepreneurship.
The first day of the meeting focused on three priority areas: advancing social security and formalisation,
enhancing women's labour force participation, and strengthening cooperation on employability and skills
development. Member States converged around a shared vision of progressively expanding social
protection coverage to all forms of work through contributory and non-contributory mechanisms. On
women's participation, members emphasized that female labour force participation rate (FLFPR) is an
important parameter of development, contributing directly to productivity, economic resilience, and
inclusive labour markets. Under employability and skills mapping, there was strong convergence on the
importance of lifelong learning, vocational training, and better skills-to-jobs matching. India's ongoing
feasibility study on a reference classification of occupations, undertaken in collaboration with the ILO,
was well received as a noble initiative to develop a common language of skills and qualifications.
Delegations appreciated the spirit of collaboration and South-South cooperation that characterised the first
day's exchanges. In the evening, a cultural programme was organised for the delegates, showcasing the
rich heritage of Kerala through vibrant folk and classical art forms such as Bharatanatyam, Mohiniattam,
Kalaripayattu, Mayoora Nritham, Margamkali, and Oppana, offering participants a warm cultural
experience of "God's Own Country".
The second day of the meeting witnessed continued deliberations, with delegates underscoring the
convergence of priorities among BRICS nations. There was a shared recognition of the need for deeper
cooperation, stronger knowledge-sharing mechanisms, and coordinated action to address common
challenges such as extending social protection to informal and gig workers, closing gender gaps in labour
markets, and responding to rapidly evolving skill requirements.
Subsequently, deliberations were held on the fourth priority area: leveraging digital technologies for all
workers, including gig and platform workers. Member States acknowledged that digitalisation is
fundamentally reshaping the nature of work and offers significant opportunities to improve access,
enhance transparency, and enable inclusive delivery of social protection and employment-related services.
At the same time, countries stressed the need to address emerging risks and ensure that digital
transformation remains inclusive, equitable, and worker-centric. Discussions focused on the exchange of
best practices related to registration systems, benefit delivery mechanisms, data-driven governance, and
technology-enabled solutions.
The meeting also featured a dedicated knowledge-sharing session, during which BRICS countries
presented innovative initiatives and experiences from their respective national contexts, including India’s
NCS and e-Shram, Egypt's mobile training units, UAE's Wage Protection System and unemployment
insurance scheme, and Brazil's Equal Pay Law, among others. These exchanges reinforced the value of
peer learning and mutual collaboration in addressing shared labour market challenges.
The meeting concluded with a reaffirmation of the collective commitment of BRICS member states to
work together towards building inclusive, resilient and future-ready labour markets, anchored in
cooperation, consensus, and shared learning.
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Rini Choudhury/Anjelina Alexander
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