BRICS Labour Ministers Meet in Hyderabad to Shape Future of Work
India Unveils 'BRICS CONNECT' to strengthen technical cooperation, knowledge exchange and capacity building among BRICS countries
Hyderabad: The BRICS Labour and Employment Ministers’ meeting was successfully held in Hyderabad under India’s BRICS Chairship 2026, bringing together Ministers, Heads of Delegation, representatives of BRICS member countries, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and knowledge partners to deliberate on key issues shaping the future of work.
The meeting was convened under India’s Chairship theme, “Building for Resilience, Innovation, Cooperation and Sustainability,” and focused on advancing collective action in the areas of social protection, labour market formalization, women’s workforce participation, skills development, and the use of digital technologies for inclusive and resilient labour markets
Welcoming delegations to Hyderabad, Union Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said India's Chairship has been guided by the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approached with a ‘people-centric’ approach and in the spirit of ‘Humanity First’.
Highlighting India's own reform journey, the Minister said India consolidated 29 outdated labour laws into four modern Labour Codes in November 2025, marking a landmark reform that creates a worker-centric ecosystem for India's 1.4 billion citizens.
The Minister noted that the e-Shram portal has enabled unique identification, de-duplication and seamless access to welfare benefits for over 317 million registered unorganised workers. The National Career Service portal, he said, combines job-matching, skills mapping and counselling, with the flexible design of India's digital platforms allowing rapid expansion of services to new worker categories such as platform workers. India has also shared this technology with partner countries, including Mauritius, he added.
Dr. Mandaviya underlined India’s consistent initiatives to strengthen international labour mobility by connecting its skilled, future-ready workforce with emerging global opportunities. He noted that India today hosts more than 2,100 Global Capability Centres employing 2.35 million professionals and generating nearly USD 98 billion in annual revenue.
The Minister emphasised that BRICS shares a responsibility to shape a future of work that is productive and equitable. “This forum provides a unique opportunity for the Global South to shape solutions that are practical, inclusive and people-centric,” he emphasised.