India Chairs BRICS Talks on Future of Work, Social Protection and Youth Employability
The first day of the second BRICS Employment Working Group (EWG) Meeting under India’s Presidency concluded in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, with member countries deliberating on social security expansion, women’s workforce participation, and skills development amid changing global labour market dynamics.
The meeting brought together delegations from BRICS member nations including China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and the UAE. Representatives from the International Labour Organization (ILO), International Social Security Association (ISSA), and the United Nations India also participated as knowledge partners.
Addressing the meeting, Secretary in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Vandana Gurnani, said the global world of work is undergoing rapid transformation due to technological advancement, artificial intelligence, green transition, demographic changes, and the expansion of gig and platform-based employment.
She said BRICS countries share a collective responsibility to ensure that social protection systems evolve with changing times, women’s participation in the workforce increases, skills systems become more responsive, and digital technologies promote inclusion.
During discussions on social security and labour market formalisation, member countries supported the idea of progressively expanding social protection coverage. Delegates noted that despite progress made by BRICS nations, coverage gaps continue to remain, particularly among informal and gig workers.
The proposed BRICS Capacity Building Forum on Advancing Social Security received support from participating countries. The forum is expected to focus on strengthening data architecture, facilitating technical exchanges for extending coverage to informal and self-employed workers, and exploring methodological tools to address social security gaps.
On women’s workforce participation, member nations underlined the need for inclusive policy frameworks to improve women’s participation in high-growth sectors and leadership roles. Delegates called for voluntary cooperation and sharing of best practices while respecting national priorities of each member state.
The meeting also focused on employability, skills mapping and vocational development. Member states highlighted the need for structured cooperation to improve skills intelligence, enhance comparability of qualifications, and strengthen exchanges related to digital, green and care economy skills.
Countries also stressed the importance of reducing skill mismatch and improving labour mobility through stronger linkages between qualification frameworks, vocational education systems and skills taxonomy.
In the context of evolving labour markets, BRICS nations proposed measures to promote youth employability through apprenticeships, internships, vocational education, entrepreneurship programmes, and targeted support for youth not in education, employment or training (NEET).
