An estimated 90% of India’s workforce is in the informal sector, making it essential for the government to ensure workers’ human rights, ensure dignified wages, social protection, and protection against discrimination. The pandemic saw the worsening of the already precarious conditions of migrant and informal workers. Workers lost livelihoods, wages, and workdays during and after the multiple lockdowns. A majority of the informal workers work in poorly regulated enterprises and such work engagements typically have issues regarding job insecurity, denial of minimum wages, decent work standards, and social protection.

The need for augmenting employment is urgent, especially in a post-COVID scenario. Youth unemployment and underemployment is a huge challenge that India is facing. As per the Periodic Labour Force Survey Report released in October 2023, 10% of youth overall (that is, aged between 15 and 29 years) and 15.7% urban youth were reported to be unemployed.

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