Parliament Question: Re-skilling of workers

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 112 TO BE ANSWERED ON 29TH JANUARY, 2026 RE-SKILLING OF WORKERS 112. DR. FAUZIA KHAN : Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) the impact of over 50,000 tech industry layoffs in 2025 on employment, especially entry and mid-level roles affected by AI adoption and global demand shifts; (b) the plans of Ministry to support re-skilling and transition programmes to mitigate job losses and unemployment spikes in urban and youth segments; (c) the details of measures taken to strengthen social security nets and promote job creation in other sectors to absorb displaced tech workers; (d) whether the Ministry is coordinating with industry and educational institutions to align workforce skills with future technology demands; and (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (e): As per the NASSCOM report “Advancing India’s AI skills” published on August 2024, the AI talent in India is expected to grow from 6 lakh – 6.5 lakh professionals to more than 12.50 lakh professionals by the year 2027 at a 15 percent compound annual growth rate (CAGR). Artificial Intelligence (AI) may result in job creation in various streams like data science, data curation, etc. So far, 8.65 lakh candidates have enrolled/trained in various courses including 3.20 lakh candidates in AI/Big Data Analytics technologies. Further, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has launched the "National AI Portal" (https://indiaai.gov.in/), which serves as a comprehensive repository of AI-related initiatives, academic research, startups, policy developments, and thought leadership articles. The portal also hosts webinars and online sessions covering topics such as ethical AI, technological advancements, and industry trends.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. Under this programme so far, 18.56 Lakh+ candidates have signed-up on the Future Skills PRIME Portal, out of which, 3.37 Lakhs+ candidates have completed their course. Government is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Short-Term Training (STT) with embedded On-the-Job Training (OJT) and up-skilling and re-skilling through Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to equip youth with industry-relevant skills and also train them in emerging and new-age job roles. In addition, under the Scheme of Centres of Excellence for Artificial Intelligence implemented by MeitY in partnership with NASSCOM, Startups are supported for developing AI based tools and applications that are of use for manufacturing companies. Several such solutions have been deployed by companies in manufacturing sector. Besides, National e-Governance Division (NeGD), MeitY in collaboration with its partners, has implemented ‘YUVAi: Youth for Unnati and Vikas with AI’- A National Programme for School Students with the objective of enabling school students from classes 8th to 12th with AI tech and social skills in an inclusive manner. The programme provides a platform for youth to learn and apply AI skills in 8 thematic areas- Krishi, Aarogya, Shiksha, Paryavaran, Parivahan, Grameen Vikas, Smart Cities and Vidhi aur Nyaay. 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 information on 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]. 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.AICTE has undertaken several initiatives to align technical and higher education with industry requirements and enhance students’ employability. Key measures include introduction of outcome-based model curricula with mandatory internships, and promotion of Industry– Academia Mobility through guidelines that facilitate collaboration and engagement with industry professionals. Institutions are encouraged to sign MoUs with industry partners, and AICTE has collaborated with leading organizations such as Salesforce, Adobe, CISCO, Microsoft, IBM, CDAC, Bajaj Finserv, Wheebox and others to integrate industry- relevant skill courses into academic programmes. *****