Labour Reforms

Centre builds digital spine for labour code rollout across states

States asked to integrate portals as government moves towards a common labour administration framework

India reaffirms role in ILO-led coalition for social justice at Geneva meet

India participated in a Global Coalition for Social Justice meeting in Geneva, reaffirming its engagement with the ILO-led initiative on labour rights and social protection

Centre notifies final IR, Wage Code rules; issues Model Standing Orders

The Centre has notified final rules under the Industrial Relations Code and Code on Wages, along with Model Standing Orders for key sectors

ISF elects new leadership as contract staffing expands across sectors

Indian Staffing Federation names new leadership for 2026-28 as contract staffing expands across sectors, supported by rising demand and policy engagement

288,000 workers a year: How Germany's labour crisis is becoming India's opportunity

Germany is running out of workers, and it’s now looking at India to fill the gap. From visa reforms to higher salaries, this shift could redefine migration trends and job opportunities for Indians.

Labour Ministry sees highest filing of grievances in 2025, shows data

The Labour Ministry accounted for the highest share of grievances filed with the Centre in 2025 till November, driven mainly by EPFO-related complaints, according to DARPG data

Explained: What new labour codes mean for petroleum industry workers

Earlier, safety regulations in this sector relied mainly on the Factories Act, 1948, which provided a limited, factory-centric approach to hazardous industries

Statsguru: Labour pain may give birth to a new era with new Codes

The new codes, consolidating 29 laws, promise enhanced social security for gig workers and women, amid data showing rising wages but high wealth inequality

Labour codes a step in right direction, but face a long road of reforms

Reforms modernise a tangled legal regime and open new opportunities, yet overtime rules, size controls and paternalistic mandates still limit true choice for workers

From gig workers to factories: What India's new labour codes really mean

India's overhaul merges 29 labour laws into four codes, reshaping minimum wages, gig-worker social security, industrial relations, and workplace safety through unified rules and digital compliance

Centre-state collaboration: A must for effective labour reforms

From national floor wages to fixed-term employment, the reforms introduce long-awaited changes, but uniform state-level adoption is key to avoiding fresh complexity

Trade unions slam new labour codes as 'deceptive fraud', plan protests

While the new rules offer social security and minimum-wage benefits, they also allow companies to hire and fire workers more easily

Labour codes will boost social security access for gig workers: Eternal

Eternal Ltd on Saturday welcomed the implementation of the four labour codes, which it said will help strengthen the social security access for gig workers, including for it Zomato and Blinkit businesses. In a regulatory filing, Eternal, the parent entity of Zomato and Blinkit said it does not think the financial impact on account of these rules will be detrimental to long-term health and sustainability of its business. The government on Friday notified the four labour codes, which have rationalised 29 existing labour laws. These will formalise employment, strengthen worker protection, and make the labour ecosystem simpler, safer and globally aligned. The four labour codes are -- 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. Under the new codes, 'gig work', 'platform work', and 'aggregators' have been defined for the first time. The codes stipulate that aggregat

New Labour Codes to address grievances in IT industry properly: Nasscom

The industry body said the Codes will bring clearer terms, stronger protections and uniform benefits for contract, gig and platform workers

Unemployment rate unchanged at 5.2% in October, shows PLFS data

The jobless rate in rural areas fell to 4.4 per cent from 4.6 per cent during this period

Datanomics: Kafala system abolition may end expats' misery in Saudi Arabia

Over 18 million workers were employed in Saudi Arabia in the second quarter of 2025 (Q2 CY2025). Out of these, nearly 77.5 per cent were foreign workers

India's Labour Codes: Transformative step towards inclusive economic growth

If we implement with speed, transparency and collaboration, the Codes can anchor India's next growth chapter

Services sector risks falling into 'low-wage job trap': NITI Aayog report

Behind the boom lies a fragile core: informality and poor pay still define India's largest employer, says a NITI Aayog report

Labour reform 2.0: India's digital blueprint for jobs and inclusion

To harness this shift, the Shram Shakti Niti draft outlines a series of interventions to bridge the divide between skill and opportunity

Best of BS Opinion: A sobering set of data reveals India's infirmities

From low workers' wages to suspect GDP to scary rankings for pilot training schools to self-serving protectionism, today's pieces paint a sobering picture of what ails India economy and policy