On January 29, 2025, Union Minister for Labour and Employment, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, launched two key initiatives: the State-Specific Microsites under the e-Shram initiative and the Occupational Shortage Index (OSI). The announcement was made during a meeting with Labour Ministers and Secretaries from various States and Union Territories in New Delhi. The event was also attended by Sushri Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State for Labour and Employment, along with senior officials from the Ministry.
Dr. Mandaviya highlighted that the multilingual e-Shram microsites are a transformative tool aimed at ensuring unorganised workers have easy access to both state and central government welfare programs. The initiative seeks to empower workers, enhancing transparency and improving the efficiency of welfare services.
The OSI, Dr. Mandaviya explained, will leverage real-time labour market data to match supply with demand in the job market, driving skill development efforts that are more aligned with industry needs, thereby making the workforce future-ready.
The e-Shram Microsites are state-specific platforms integrated with the national e-Shram database, enabling seamless registration of unorganised workers. These platforms simplify access to welfare schemes, employment opportunities, and skill development programs for workers. The microsites reduce the need for costly infrastructure development at the state level, offering real-time data analytics to aid in policy decisions and enabling states to customize tools based on local labour market demands.
For workers, these microsites offer a smooth registration process and access to social security benefits, with multilingual support for better accessibility. The integration with the e-Shram database ensures that workers receive timely updates about welfare schemes and job opportunities.
The second major initiative, the Occupational Shortage Index, aims to improve employment outcomes by providing data-driven insights into occupations facing shortages. Built on ILO methodology and quarterly PLFS data, the OSI helps align job seekers’ skills with industry needs, facilitating more efficient decision-making in workforce planning. The index will be valuable for policymakers, training institutions, and businesses in bridging skill gaps in high-demand sectors, ultimately supporting the development of targeted skill programs.
