Auhona Mukherjee

Govt publishes handbook on employer compliance under Labour Codes

Labour Ministry releases a handbook outlining 23 compliance actions for employers under the four Labour Codes, offering clarity ahead of final rules expected by the end of the fiscal year

NITI Aayog seeks major overhaul of India's apprenticeship ecosystem

NITI Aayog has proposed a unified apprenticeship mission, stronger industry participation and targeted incentives to address fragmentation, low completion rates and uneven engagement across India

Private sector growth hits three-month high in Feb as new orders pick up

Companies recruit additional staff and scale up output as sales improve

EPFO likely to link with govt databases to enhance compliance monitoring

EPFO is also expanding data integration with state governments to widen compliance checks. Its payroll data is regularly shared with the governments of Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan

Govt asks EPFO to conduct study on impact of workforce formalisation

Panel seeks report in three months amid push on labour codes, eshram and social security coverage

States asked to speed up rules, nominate officials for Labour Code rollout

Labour Secretary Vandana Gurnani urged states and UTs to nominate officials, accelerate rule finalisation and support training to ensure smooth rollout of the four Labour Codes from FY27

Big outlays, small uptake: India's job schemes face a reality check

Despite large Budget allocations for PMIS and ELI, uptake remains low due to design issues, wage concerns and limited reach beyond big firms, prompting calls for a rethink

Urban India may account for 70% of GDP in FY26: Dun & Bradstreet report

Urban India to power 70% of GDP in FY26, with Tier-II and Tier-III cities emerging as new growth hubs, says Dun & Bradstreet report

Trade unions' strike against the labour Codes gets mixed response

Ten central trade unions organise nationwide protest against Labour Codes, reporting disruptions in coal, banking, transport and agriculture sectors

Nationwide strike against Labour Codes; banks, railways may see disruption

Ten central trade unions call a nationwide strike against Labour Codes; banking, transport and government services may face disruptions in several states

Share of flexi workers rose to 70% from 20% in 5 years, says report

The share of flexi workers in India's workforce rose sharply to 70 per cent in 2025 from 20 per cent in 2020, while the proportion of permanent workers declined, an ISF report said

EPFO to appoint new partner agencies, change custodian after 15 years

Retirement fund body EPFO is preparing to empanel new partner agencies and appoint a fresh custodian, as it revamps investment, audit and management arrangements

Workers expect timely payments, income security under Labour Codes: Study

A perception-based VVGNLI study finds most workers expect better income security and timely wages under the new Labour Codes, even as awareness and clarity on provisions remain uneven

Govt to soon decide increased EPFO, ESIC wage ceilings: Mandaviya

The labour ministry will shortly decide on raising EPFO and ESIC wage ceilings, fixing a national floor wage and increasing the minimum pension under EPS, as it targets wider social security coverage

EPFO mulls spreading equity exposure to sectoral, factor-based indices

The retirement fund manager currently invests upto 15% of its inflows into Sensex, Nifty ETFs; railways, defence stocks also on the radar

Services PMI rebounds to 58.5 in Jan amid higher output, hiring

The main features behind output growth were demand buoyancy, new business gains and tech investment, said the survey

Trade deal sweetens FY27 growth arithmetic as exports lift outlook

Economists say the India-US trade deal could lift FY27 GDP growth by 20-40 basis points by boosting exports and reducing uncertainty, though risks from imports remain

MSDE may launch new entrepreneurship scheme for students: Budget documents

Budget documents say the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship is developing a national entrepreneurship scheme for students across schools and colleges

Manufacturing PMI climbs to 55.4 in January on new orders, hiring

Rising outstanding business volumes drove goods producers to hire extra staff, and the pace of job creation rose to the quickest in three months, the survey stated

Budget 2026-27: 61% of labour ministry's record FY26 outlay unspent

Even as the labour ministry received its highest-ever allocation in Budget 2026-27, revised estimates show a majority of funds remained unutilised, largely due to low spending on central schemes