Text on labour and employment track finalised by G20 LEMM

The G20 Labour and Employment Ministers’ (LEMM) assembled in Fortaleza, Brazil have approved the Labour and Employment Ministerial declaration on July 26, 2024. The final text was approved after the conclusion of the two-day long Labour & Employment Ministers´ meeting (LEMM) on 25-26 July, 2024, under the Presidency of Brazil, informed Ministry of Labour & Employment, PIB.

Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour & Employment, led the Indian delegation. Brazil along with India and South Africa, the previous and the next host of the G20, were member of troika. The Labour & Employment Ministers’ meeting was preceded by 5th Employment Working Group meeting (EWG) on July 23-24, 2024 which negotiated the final text.

“During the two-day Labour & Employment ministers made interventions on key focus areas of the Labour & Employment track, viz. Just Transition; the creation of quality jobs and the promotion of decent work, to ensure social inclusion and eliminate poverty and hunger; Gender Equality and the promotion of diversity in the world of work; and the use of technologies as a means of improving everyone’ quality of life,” stated the Ministry.

The declaration stressed on the necessity for governments implementing policies that promote inclusive economic growth, create job opportunities, and ensure fair and decent working conditions. It emphasised the need for effective labor market policies, such as training, skill development, and job matching, to meet the economy’s needs. Additionally, it urges governments to formalise jobs, address platform work, establish fair wage minimums, provide social protection, and foster social dialogue and collective bargaining to achieve a more equitable income distribution and fairer society.

In her opening remarks in the session on ‘Just Transitions’ in the Labour & Employment Ministers meeting, Karandlaje emphasised the need for skilling and reskilling to ensure just and fair transition to greener alternatives. “Just transitions encompass various dimensions, including protecting workers and communities affected by the phasing out of carbon-intensive industries. It requires a robust framework of social protection, retraining programs, and investments in sustainable industries. However, the shift to greener alternatives can lead to significant job losses and economic instability if not managed carefully”, she stated.

Additionally, the Union Minister stated that India has launched National Missions in specified areas like renewable energy, sustainability, and climate change, and the Sector Skill Council for Green Jobs (SSCGJ) is developing a skilled workforce to support these sectors.

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Karandlaje informed in her session on creation of quality Jobs and the Promotion of Decent Work Jobs that, “India has generated over 80 million employment opportunities from 2017-18 to 2021-22, averaging over 20 million jobs per year and the youth unemployment rate has dropped from 17.8% in 2017-18 to 10% in 2022-23, with increased youth participation in the labour force,” she also added that, “India’s ‘One Nation, One Ration Card’ initiative allows migrant workers to access entitled food grains nationwide. In addition, the Ayushman Bharat Scheme, the world’s largest government-funded healthcare program, covers over 550 million citizens, demonstrating our dedication to health security.”

During the intervention on ‘Gender Equality and Promotion of Diversity in the World of Work’, Union Minister Minister said that India has made has made significant strides in promoting gender equality at workplace through robust legislative measures. “The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act, 2013, outlines strict procedures ensuring a safer work environment for women. Further, the Equal Remuneration Act, 1976, mandates equal pay for men and women performing the same work or work of a similar nature. Another significant step is extending paid maternity leave from 12 weeks to 26 weeks for women employees, applicable to both public and private sectors,” she said.

During the session on ‘the use of technologies as a means of improving everyone’s quality of life, Karandlaje said that India has leveraged digital platforms through our Digital India Mission to open up new avenues for entrepreneurship and employment. “Government of India launched e-Shram portal in 2021 with the objective to create a national database of all unorganised workers including Construction Workers, Gig and Platform workers, Street Vendors, Domestic Workers, Migrant workers etc., seeded with unique identification number i.e. Aadhaar. More than 298 million informal sector workers have registered on the portal so far.  This is being linked to Skill India digital portal to make skilling opportunities accessible to the workers in the informal sector”, she informed the gathering.

Karandlaje also said that Aadhaar, one of the world’s largest biometric ID systems, has made easy access to expanding financial access, but urged G20 countries to address technology’s ethical concerns, like data privacy and AI use, through regulations and cooperation. On the sidelines of the meeting, Shobha Karandlaje, Union Minister of State for Labour and Employment met Gilbert Houngbo, Director General of International Labour Organisation (ILO).

She also met Miyazaki Masahisa, Japanese State Minister for Health, Labour and Welfare on the sidelines of G20 Labour & Employment Ministers meeting at Fortaleza, Brazil. The two leaders discussed areas of mutual interest including the need to further enhance the mobility of semi-skilled and skilled workers from India to Japan.