The Ministry is also set to finalise a framework for extending social security to gig and platform workers in the coming year and launch EPFO 3.0 by the end of the current financial year, enabling provident fund withdrawals directly through bank ATMs and UPI | Photo Credit:
The implementation of the four labour codes has been pitched by the Ministry of Labour and Employment as the high point of 2025, alongside a major push towards digital service delivery and expanded social security coverage. The Ministry is also set to finalise a framework for extending social security to gig and platform workers in the coming year and launch EPFO 3.0 by the end of the current financial year, enabling provident fund withdrawals directly through bank ATMs and UPI, making access faster and more user friendly.
historic reforms
In what it termed a historic reforms, the government implemented the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, with effect from November 21, 2025, subsuming 29 central labour laws. The Ministry, in a statement on the 2025 review, said the move modernises labour regulation, simplifies compliance and aligns India’s labour ecosystem with the evolving world of work, while strengthening worker welfare and industrial competitiveness.
The year-end statement highlighted common features across the four codes, including uniform definitions, a technology-driven inspection system, decriminalisation of minor offences, simplified compliance through single registration and returns, and expanded opportunities for women, including night work with safeguards. Inspectors have been redesignated as inspector-cum-facilitators to encourage compliance and reduce inspector raj.
Under the Code on Wages, minimum wages have become a statutory right for all employees, with a national floor wage to be fixed by the Centre. The Industrial Relations Code introduces fixed-term employment with parity in benefits, a re-skilling fund for retrenched workers, formal recognition of negotiating unions and faster dispute resolution through a two-member industrial tribunal. The Social Security Code expands ESIC coverage, introduces definitions for gig and platform workers and provides for a social security fund for unorganised workers, while the OSH Code mandates appointment letters, annual health check-ups and expanded protections for migrant workers.
Employment generation was another major focus in 2025 with the launch of the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana (PMVBRY) on August 15. With an outlay of ₹99,446 crore, the scheme aims to incentivise the creation of over 3.5 crore jobs, including nearly 1.92 crore first-time workers, through wage support for new employees and incentives for employers. Over 2.35 lakh establishments have already registered on the PMVBRY portal, according to the Ministry.
The Ministry also pointed to sharp gains in social protection, with coverage rising from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025, placing India second globally. Internationally, India received the ISSA Award 2025 for Outstanding Achievement in Social Security and signed an MoU with the International Labour Organisation to advance occupational classification and labour mobility.
The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) undertook extensive reforms during the year, including auto-settlement of withdrawals up to ₹5 lakh, a centralised pension payment system, simplified transfers and partial withdrawals, and interest credit at 8.25 per cent for 2024–25. EPFO also expanded digital access through face-authenticated UAN services on the UMANG app and rolled out a revamped Electronic Challan-cum-Return system.
Meanwhile, e-Shram crossed 31.42 crore registrations, while the National Career Service portal mobilised over four crore vacancies in 2025, supported by partnerships with major private platforms and global firms.
Looking ahead, the Ministry said extending social security to gig and platform workers, scaling EPFO 3.0 and deepening digital public infrastructure for employment will remain key priorities in 2026.
Published on December 30, 2025
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