Immense potential cooperation among BRICS countries in labour-related areas: Mandaviya

Hyderabad, Jul 14 (PTI) Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Tuesday said there is immense potential for cooperation among BRICS countries in areas such as social security, skills, AI and decent work. Speaking after inaugurating the three-day BRICS Trade Union Forum Summit-2026 here, he said the BRICS countries together represent nearly half of humanity and one of the world's largest labour forces. "As our economies continue to evolve, there is immense potential for deeper cooperation in areas such as social security, skills, AI governance, labour mobility and decent work," he said. The forthcoming BRICS labour and employment ministers meeting in Hyderabad on July 15 provides an excellent opportunity to translate the recommendations emerging from the Summit into concrete policy cooperation and practical outcomes, he said. Together, BRICS can shape a future of work that is innovative, inclusive and human-centric, he said. Observing that employment generation remains at the heart of India's growth strategy, he said over the last decade, nearly 170 million employment opportunities have been created. "The unemployment rate has declined from six per cent in 2017 to 3.1 per cent in 2025, while the female employment rate has increased significantly from 22 per cent to 38.8 per cent" during the same period, he claimed. To sustain this momentum, the Centre has launched the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, an employment-linked incentive scheme that aims to create 35 million formal sector jobs over the next two years, he said. PTI SJR SJR ADB