Centre to develop labour index of skilled manpower: Union Minister

UP and Bihar accounted for the largest number of migrant workforce in India

The central government was preparing an index of skilled labour that will give national and international markets a database for hiring, said union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey on Friday.
 
Pandey, minister for skill development and entrepreneurship, said the ‘Labour Management Information System’ will have labour data categorised according to industry and geography.

“We have already working on this idea at the central level and have asked the state governments to also take it forward for optimising the skill development mission,” he said.
 

Pandey said after his ministry was formed, more than 5 million youth had been trained and more than 1.2 million provided with jobs. “Now, we will track these jobs for six months from the current duration of 3 months to ensure there is continuity of employment for the skilled youth.

 
He said Uttar Pradesh and Bihar accounted for the largest number of migrant workforce in India and stressed upon providing them with new skills so that their earning potential is enhanced. “India cannot realise Prime Minister’s (Narendra Modi) vision of $5 trillion economy without the requisite skill development of youth.”
 
Meanwhile, UP MSME and export promotion minister Sidharth Nath Singh said India was currently passing through a phase of “disruptive economy” and “structural unemployment” which was getting reflected in slowdown and joblessness.
 
“Disruptive economy occurs when new technology, innovation and knowledge economy permeates the economic sphere and junks the old stereotypical employment format, such as the blue collar 9-to-5 job profiles,” he observed.

 
Singh said the slowdown being reported by the media was actually the ramifications of the same disruptive economy and structural unemployment rather than real slowdown even as he reminded that slowdown had hit the global economy as well.
 
“Prime Minister had targeted India’s erstwhile parallel economy with steps like demonetisation. Now, the strong focus on digital economy will also create new types of jobs across the urban and rural areas.”
 
Stressing on skilling the youth, Singh said while investors can spend on creating the basic infrastructure, but skilled workers would be needed to run these factories. “When we have adequate number of skilled youth, the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) would grow at multiple digits and not just single digit,” Singh said.