Labour and Employment Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday emphasised the need for India to redefine the concept of ‘job’ to include self-employed individuals, especially women engaged in household chores, to boost female labour force participation. He also highlighted the importance of aligning skill enhancement with industry demands to harness the benefits of the country’s demographic dividend.
“India has manpower, brain power and skill power. There is a need to redefine ‘jobs’ to include self-employed and women doing household chores in the nation’s workforce,” Mandaviya said.
Speaking at the Future of Jobs-Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce conference, organised jointly by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Mandaviya stressed the need for greater collaboration between the government and the industry to achieve India’s goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.
“Industry and government should be on the same wavelength and need to move forward in synergy,” he said, further adding that the need for a taskforce to analyse workforce requirements in different sectors and ensure a skilled workforce.
India’s 7-8% growth to drive demand for skilled workers
Mandaviya proposed granting industry the status of an establishment for providing skill training tailored to their specific needs. This initiative, he argued, would create demand-driven trained manpower for each sector.
Highlighting India’s projected growth rate of 7-8%, Mandaviya pointed out that this would result in increased purchasing power, driving consumption, manufacturing, and the demand for skilled workers.
“Skills get automatically generated when demand increases,” he said, stressing the importance of shifting the mindset of India’s youth and linking skill enhancement directly with industry needs.
Regarding the employment-linked incentive scheme announced in the Budget 2024-25, Mandaviya explained that manpower requirements are being mapped cluster-wise.
“Skills training will be imparted through the hub and spoke model, and courses will be developed as per the requirement in each cluster,” he added.