Parliament Question: Employment Generation and Labour Welfare

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1378 TO BE ANSWERED ON 27TH JULY, 2026 EMPLOYMENT GENERATION AND LABOUR WELFARE 1378. DR. ALOK KUMAR SUMAN: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) the details of employment generated under various Government initiatives during the last three years and the current year, year- wise; (b) the measures taken by the Government to strengthen social security coverage for workers in the organised and unorganised sectors; (c) the details of the progress made by the Government in implementation of the e-Shram portal and other related welfare schemes in the country, State/UT-wise including Bihar; (d) whether the Government proposes to introduce additional employment-linked incentive measures in the country and if so, the details thereof; and (e) the steps taken by the Government to improve job opportunities for youth across the country? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (e): Official estimates of employment and unemployment in India are derived from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS), conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation since 2017–18. The PLFS methodology was revamped with effect from January 2025. The PLFS Annual Report 2025 is the first report in the revised series to present labour market estimates, covering the period from January to December 2025. As per latest PLFS report 2025, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR) indicating employment on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has increased from 54.1% in 2022 to 57.4% in 2025; the estimated Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) on usual status for persons of age 15 years and above has increased from 56.1% in 2022 to 59.3% in 2025 and the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) has decreased from 3.6% in 2022 to 3.1% in 2025 in the country.The Ministry of Labour and Employment launched eShram portal (eshram.gov.in) which is a One-Stop-Solution for unorganized workers to have access to various social security schemes, Ministry of Labour and Employment launched the eShram– “One-Stop-Solution” on 21st October 2024. eShram– “One-Stop-Solution” entails integration of different social security/ welfare schemes at single portal i.e., eShram. This enables unorganized workers registered on eShram to access social security schemes and see benefits availed by them so far, through eShram.So far, fifteen (15) schemes of different Central Ministries/ Departments have already been integrated/ mapped with the eShram to extend benefits and access to social security, health insurance and accidental claim to eShram cardholders. The Labour Codes were enacted to meet need for comprehensive labour reforms that formalize employment, simplify compliance through digital integration, strengthen social Security and ensure workplace safety and equality. The Codes will provide universal minimum wages and social security benefits for workers. The Labour Codes also have several enabling provisions which will promote formalisation and employment generation including social security and welfare of the workers. Such provisions include, formalization of employment through mandatory issue of appointment letter, universalisation of social security by extending coverage to organised, unorganised, gig and platform workers to strengthen their protection against employment-related vulnerabilities and enabling greater adaptability to new forms of work like gig & platform work and technology-driven employment models. Employment generation coupled with improving employability is a priority of the Government. Accordingly, Government is implementing various employment generation schemes/ programmes in the country. The details of various employment generation schemes/ programmes being implemented by the Government may be seen at https://dge.gov.in/dge/schemes_programmes. The Rozgar Mela is a major initiative aimed at prioritising employment generation. Since its inception, more than 12.5 lakh recruitment letters have been issued through 19 Rozgar Melas organised across the country.Government is also implementing Skill India Mission (SIM) to deliver skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres/ schools/ colleges /institutes etc. under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsmen Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) in the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready, equipped with industry relevant skills. The Ministry of MSME launched Udyam Registration Portal on 01.07.2020 for formalizing enterprises, expanding access to government support and strengthening the MSME ecosystem. A total of 8.9 crore Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have been registered on Udyam Registration Portal, including Udyam Assist Platform (UAP), providing employment to over 39 crore people across the country. Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has initiated ‘FutureSkills PRIME’ a programme for Re-skilling/Up-skilling of IT Manpower for Employability in 10 new/emerging technologies including Artificial Intelligence. Additionally, the Government is implementing Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme named as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to support employment generation, enhance employability and social security across all sectors, with special focus on the manufacturing sector. The scheme with an outlay of Rs 99,446 Crore aims to incentivize the creation of more than 3.5 Crore jobs in the country, over a period of 2 years. The PMVBRY is a demand-driven scheme. Under part A, incentive amount of Rs 744.7 crore has disbursed to 13.18 lakh first timer employees; and under Part B, incentive amount of Rs 2068.84 cr has been disbursed to 83,535 beneficiary establishments. Further, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, is running the National Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a one-stop solution for providing career related services including jobs from private and government sectors, information on online & offline job fairs, job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, skill/training programmes etc. through a digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in]. *****