The draft Shram Shakti Niti 2025 released recently for public consultation marks a critical shift, proposing that the labour and employment ministry move beyond its regulatory role to act as a facilitator of employment. It envisions the ministry using digital tools to connect workers with jobs and align their skills with industry needs. This reflects recognition that employment cannot rely on government recruitment alone, that the State must support private-sector job creation through infrastructure, oversight, and digital assistance. The National Career Service platform is expected to serve as the public portal integrating job matching, skill training, and verification of worker credentials.
A major focus is on informal, gig, and rural workers, who make up more than 80 percent of India’s workforce. Initiatives such as education-to-employment ‘career lounges’ aim to involve private industry in linking training to opportunities. Yet the ministry’s ability to facilitate employment at scale remains largely untested. While digital systems work in cities, many informal and seasonal migrant workers face limited internet access, lack proper documents, and have little awareness of the available schemes. Previous attempts to unify platforms such as the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation, Employees’ State Insurance Corporation, and e-SHRAM were slowed by weak coordination and fragmented databases. Some state-level examples offer lessons: Kerala’s district-based registration and welfare mechanisms have achieved wider coverage of informal labour through on-ground coordination supported by digital tracking.
Digital solutions would not address some deeper structural challenges in India’s labour market. Weak enforcement of labour rights and insufficient public investment in health, education, and skilling have prevented the development of a capable and secure workforce. Only a small segment of the formal sector benefits from statutory protections, while the majority remain in insecure, informal employment. Migrant workers are the most vulnerable, concentrated in low-wage, high-risk jobs with minimal regulatory oversight. Recruitment agents behaving as intermediaries further limit their bargaining power, reinforcing informality. Gender inclusion is another critical gap. The policy aims to raise women’s workforce participation to 35 percent by 2030, but this goal is hard to reach when childcare is scarce, mobility unsafe, and part-time or flexible jobs are largely limited to metros. For Shram Shakti Niti to succeed, it will need more than digital platforms. It must address structural inequalities, bridge the digital divide, and build real institutions and support systems on the ground.
