Migrant Realities
India’s Migrants: Exclusion by Design
Migrant workers fuel India’s growth yet remain excluded from its rewards. Policy silences and regional inequalities sustain their exploitation, and caste hierarchies have been reconfigured within neoliberal urban economies to normalise their exclusion from the nation’s systems.
Employment News
Unemployment Rate Increased in September, Joblessness Among the Youth Rose to 15%: Govt Data
New Delhi: According to the monthly periodic labour force survey (PLFS) data released by the National Statistics Office (NSO) this week, the unemployment rate in September increased to 5.2% from 5.1% in August. The headline unemployment rate for people above age 15 years and above in the current weekly status (CWS) terms for rural areas increased to 4.6% in September from 4.3% in August, which is the highest since June, reported Business Standard.
In the Courts
Any Woman, Any Workplace—Except Political Parties: Supreme Court Compounds Kerala High Court Error
By refusing to apply India’s workplace sexual-harrassment law, POSH, to political parties—arguing that party offices are not workplaces and there is no employer-employee relationship—the Supreme Court has compounded a Kerala High Court error. A law designed to safeguard any woman at any workplace is denied to women in politics, where hierarchies and power imbalances make harassment most likely.
Court blocks Trump administration’s latest mass layoffs for federal employees
A judge is temporarily blocking the Trump administration from carrying out its latest round of federal employee layoffs at most agencies.
Judge Susan Illston with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled Wednesday that widespread reduction-in-force notices sent to about 4,000 employees last Friday were “both illegal and in excess of authority,” and granted a temporary restraining order blocking most agencies from proceeding with those layoffs.
Farm News
Punjab’s farmers struggle to reclaim flood-hit land amid ‘official apathy’
In August and September, Punjab faced one of its worst floods in decades, affecting more than 20 lakh people across 2,614 villages and displacing 6.87 lakh people. Naseeb Singh, 28, who farms over 17 acres of land in a village near Dera Baba Nanak town in Gurdaspur, came across a strange problem when he inspected his farm following the recent floods — nearly two acres of his field had turned into a pit full of floodwater and the rest was covered with silt.
Benefits for Workers
Can the Draft Labour Policy’s Universal Social Security Fix Gig Workers’ Financial Woes?
Universal and portable social security is one of the major themes of the draft National Labour and Employment Policy, which proposes to create a universal account by integrating EPFO, ESIC, PM-JAY, e-Shram, and State welfare boards. One of its guiding principles is universal inclusion. But how will the Ministry of Labour and Employment treat workers without formal identification, migrant workers with no online records, and those in remote areas with limited internet access?
Women in the Workforce
600 Women Garment Workers Unite in Bengaluru Forums for Dignity and Rights
Participants spoke about wages and working hours, long-standing flash points in the industry. After years of advocacy, the Karnataka government approved a minimum wage revision in April 2025 to ₹19,319 for unskilled workers and up to ₹34,225 for highly skilled workers, following Supreme Court guidance. This came only after unions challenged attempts to freeze the Variable Dearness Allowance during the pandemic, said Satyanand M., state secretary, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC).
News from States
No Support, No Justice: Families Of Casual Labourers Killed Working In J&K’s Power Sector Struggle For Compensation
They climb poles, touch live wires and work through snow without safety gear for Rs 9,000 per month, hoping to one day be regularised. More than 400 have died since 2010, according to a news report. Their families struggle to obtain government support and compensation, reserved for regular employees, and many are unaware that they are eligible for compensation under the Employee Compensation Act of 1923. The chairman of the union representing the daily wage workers said that only “about 50” of the 400 families had received official compensation via insurance schemes or ex gratia relief from the power department.
Livelihoods
Green and gold leaves
For the tribals of Junglemahal, kendu leaf collection is a way of life, intertwining economic survival with cultural and ecological harmony. Yet, systemic challenges threaten this delicate balance.
Policy Changes
EPFO Big Change: You Can Now Withdraw 100% Of Your PF Money?
VIDEO: This special report unpacks the major changes to the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) withdrawal rules. The discussion clarifies the significant confusion around these new policies, explaining that while 100% withdrawal is now permitted under certain conditions, there are nuances.
Reports
2024 Living Wage Update Report: Living Wage Report for Delhi-NCR, India
This report provides updated estimates of family living income expenses and living wage for Delhi-NCR, India. The update for 2024 takes into account inflation and changes in payroll deductions since the original Anker living wage study carried out in December 2023 (Kaicker & Mamkoottam, 2023).
Jobseekers
Labourers, masons, fitters going online for jobs. A LinkedIn for construction workers
Digital Labour Chowk is part of a lineup of tech platforms that are trying to move manual labour hiring out of streets and into the world of algorithms and apps. ‘Over 10,000 companies hiring.’ Urban Company did it for salon and domestic workers, Zomato and Swiggy for delivery persons, Ola and Uber for drivers. Now platforms like Digital Labour Chowk are doing it to formalise and streamline the construction segment.
9.5 lakh candidates apply for 7,500 constable posts in Madhya Pradesh
VIDEO: In this Get Real India story, the focus is on the jobs crisis facing India's youth, highlighted by a police constable recruitment drive in Madhya Pradesh. For just 7,500 posts requiring a Class X pass, nearly 9.5 lakh candidates have applied, which is roughly 127 applications for each available position. The applicants include 52,000 post-graduates, 12,000 engineers, and approximately 50 PhD holders, all competing for a job with a starting salary of Rs 19,500.
India is staring at one of its biggest crises: Unemployment of the educated
Seventy to 80 lakh youth enter the workforce every year. Where are the white-collar, reasonably paying jobs for graduates and postgraduates?
Salary Growth
India’s Salaries to Rise Almost 9% in 2026 Despite Inflation and Global Uncertainty
VIDEO: India’s paychecks could finally get heavier. A new TeamLease survey predicts salaries across sectors may rise 6–11% in 2026, even as inflation and global volatility squeeze employers. From tech and finance leading the hike to small firms offering bonuses instead of full raises — this could reshape job markets and household budgets alike. But uneven growth and global shocks could still limit how far those pay bumps go. Here’s what India’s 2026 salary outlook means for workers, employers, and the economy.
Domestic Workers
Karnataka domestic worker’s draft bill proposes 5% welfare fee, 48-hour work week, fines up to Rs 50,000; seeks public suggestions
The Karnataka government on October 15 published the draft of Karnataka Domestic Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025 in the state gazette for public feedback, inviting objections and suggestions from citizens within 30 days. The draft bill aims to ensure decent working conditions, social security, and welfare for domestic workers across the state.
Election Issues
The big jobs bluff in Bihar
The state has an employment problem, but government jobs for all households is certainly an outlandish promise… Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav’s promise of giving a government job to a person in every household in Bihar ought to be evaluated. The numbers are beyond ridiculous.