Brics adopts labour declaration, launches India-backed CONNECT platform

Brics labour ministers adopted a joint declaration in Hyderabad and launched the India-backed CONNECT platform to strengthen cooperation on labour, skills and social security

Brics labour and employment ministers on Wednesday adopted a joint declaration at their meeting in Hyderabad under India's 2026 chairship, committing to closer cooperation on expanding social security coverage, formalising labour markets, increasing women's workforce participation, strengthening skills development and improving the use of digital technologies in labour administration, including for gig and platform workers.

 

The declaration commits member countries to progressively expand social security coverage from existing levels and strengthen efforts to formalise labour markets, according to a statement by the Ministry of Labour and Employment.

 

It also calls for greater cooperation on policies aimed at improving women's participation in the workforce, including expanding access to skills development, strengthening parental leave provisions, tackling workplace harassment and discrimination, and increasing women's representation in leadership roles across the public and private sectors, the ministry's statement said.

 

 

The declaration also places skills development and digital labour governance among the group's priorities. It calls for closer cooperation on employability, skills mapping and future workforce requirements, while encouraging member countries to exchange experiences on the use of digital technologies in labour administration. It also recognises the growing importance of gig and platform work and calls for collaboration to address labour market transitions through knowledge sharing and South-South cooperation.

 

The ministers also adopted Brics CONNECT, an initiative proposed by India to establish a platform for technical cooperation among member countries on labour and employment. The platform will facilitate collaboration on labour market intelligence, skills forecasting, digital employment services, social security systems and labour market reforms through the exchange of technical expertise and best practices.

 

“It is expected to serve as a collaborative platform for sharing best practices and knowledge exchange in the areas of improving labour market intelligence, supporting skills forecasting, and facilitating cooperation on future skills, digital employment services, social security, and labour market reforms,” the ministry said.

 

The declaration also took note of an ongoing International Labour Organization (ILO) feasibility study on an International Reference Classification of Occupations (IRCO), being conducted in collaboration with India, with Brazil also participating, and encouraged other Brics members to join the pilot covering the digital, care and green sectors. The proposed framework seeks to develop a common occupational classification that could improve skills mapping and support labour mobility across emerging sectors.

 

The Labour and Employment Ministers' Meeting is one of the sectoral meetings held under the annual Brics chairship, bringing together ministers from the grouping to discuss labour market policies and identify areas for cooperation. India, which holds the Brics chairship in 2026, hosted this year's meeting in Hyderabad.