Lok Sabha Question No. 2728 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-17
Subject: G20 Employment Working Group Meeting 2025
Ministry: LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT
Asked by: Dr. Vinod Kumar Bind, Shri Pratap Chandra Sarangi

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA

## MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2728 TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.03.2025

## G20 EMPLOYMENT WORKING GROUP MEETING 2025

2728. SHRI PRATAP CHANDRA SARANGI:

DR. VINOD KUMAR BIND:

Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state:

- (a)the details of the key outcomes of India's participation in the First G20  Employment  Working  Group  (EWG)  Meeting  2025  under  the
- South African Presidency;
- (b)the status of the implementation of the four Labour Codes and their
- impact on labour market flexibility;
- (c)the timeline for full enforcement of four labour codes across the
- States; and
- (d)the details of the Government's roadmap for achieving 70% female
- workforce participation by 2047?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE)

(a) to (d): The first meeting of the G20 Employment Working Group Meeting  under  South  African  Presidency  was  held  from  18-21  Feb 2025 at Port Elizabeth, South Africa.  The key areas of discussion during this meeting included 'Inclusive Growth & Youth Empowerment ' and 'Social Security & Digitalisation for an Inclusive Future of Work'.

The  interventions  made  during  this  meeting  highlighted India's major refor ms aimed at job creation, labour market flexibility, and  comprehensive  social  security.  India's  positive  employment trends,  noting  a  decline  in  the  unemployment  rate,  alongside  a significant  rise  in  the  Labour  Force  Participation  Rate  (LFPR)  and Worker Pop ulation Ratio were emphasised. India's efforts in social security  expansion  were  elucidated, with  coverage  doubling  from

24.4%  in  2021  to  48.8%  in  2024,  as  per  the  ILO's  World  Social Protection Report 2024-26. Youth empowerment  through skill development  was  also  emphasized.  India's  transformative  use  of technology was showcased, including building a national database of unorganised workers on e-Shram portal and using National Career Service (NCS) Portal to bridge the supply-demand in labour market through convergence of various stakeholdersemployers, jobseekers, skilling services etc.

'Labour'  as  a  subject  is  in  the  Concurrent  List  of  the Constitution of India and under the Codes, the power to make rules has  been  entrusted  to Central Government  as  well  as  State Governments. As a step towards implementation of the four Labour Codes, the Central Government has pre-published the draft Rules. As per available information, 34, 33, 32 and 33 States/Union Territories have pre-published the draft Rules under 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 respectively.

In order to enhance female labour force participation, the Government  is  providing  training  to  them  through  a  network  of Women Industrial  Training  institutes,  National  Vocational  Training Institutes and Regional Vocational Training Institutes. A number of provisions  have  also  been  incorporated  in  the  labour  laws  for congenial  work  environment  for  women  workers,  such  as  paid maternity leave, child care leave, equal wages etc.

In addition, Ministry of Labour and Employment in January, 2024 issued an 'Advisory for Employers to Promote Women Workforce -alia mentions the need for balance between  employment  and  care  responsibilities  for  both  men  and women, including family friendly measures such as paternity leave, working

Par ticipation'. The advisory inter parental leave, family emergency leave and flexible arrangements.

Further, the Union Budget (2024-25) announced setting up of  working  women  hostels  in  collaboration  with  industry,  and establishing  crèches,  for  increasing  participation  of  women  in workforce.

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