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India today well-positioned to meet growing global demand for low, medium, high-skilled workers

By Puneet Kumar Shrivastav* 
International Migration Day, celebrated on December 18th every year, aims to honour the vital contributions of migrants to communities, economies, and nations worldwide. It highlights migration's role in fostering cultural exchange, economic growth, and social development. The day highlights migrants' resilience, determination, and diverse talents. It also promotes global understanding and cooperation. Migrants are individuals who relocate from their usual place of residence, either within a country or across international borders, for various reasons, whether temporarily or permanently. 
The UN Migration Agency (IOM) defines a migrant as any person who is moving or has moved across an international border or within a State away from his/her habitual place of residence, regardless of (i) the person’s legal status; (ii) whether the movement is voluntary or involuntary; (iii) what the causes for the movement are; or (iv) what the length of the stay is. By the end of 2020, an estimated 281 million people were international migrants, making up 3.6 percent of the global population as per the World Migration Report, 2024. The international migration also brings several associated challenges. As per the Missing Migrants Project, 2024 published by IoM, since 2014, nearly 68,000 deaths or disappearances during migration have been documented, with many more likely unreported, including approximately 8,500 in 2023.  Data collected from 150 countries reveals that between 2003 and 2021, there were approximately 450,000 victims of human trafficking. Among these victims, 60 percent were women, highlighting the disproportionately the huge number affected by this global issue (as per the Global Report on Trafficking in Persons published in 2022). The trafficking of individuals, particularly women, often involves forced labor, sexual exploitation, and other forms of abuse, underlining the urgent need for effective measures to combat human trafficking and protect vulnerable populations worldwide. Out of the total number of trafficking victims, children make up 35 percent, representing a significant and alarming portion of the global trafficking crisis. These young victims are particularly vulnerable to exploitation, including forced labor, sexual trafficking, and recruitment into armed conflicts. The trafficking of children is often driven by poverty, lack of education, and social instability, and it can have devastating long-term effects on their physical, emotional, and psychological well-being. 
Prospects & challenge for India in international mobility
Global demographic trends show that many developed countries, such as the UK, US, and Japan, are facing a decline in skilled workers due to ageing populations, creating a rising demand for skilled labor. In contrast, India is well-positioned to meet this growing international demand, with its large working-age population—around 64 percent of the total—capable of supplying low, medium, and high-skilled workers. In recent years, India has made substantial investments in skill development to harness its demographic dividend by equipping both the existing workforce and new entrants with a wide range of skills. By 2022, more than 140.4 million individuals had participated in various skill training programs through initiatives such as PMKVY, DDUGKY, and the Skill India Mission. In addition to strengthening domestic capabilities, India is also preparing its youth to seize global opportunities by implementing a range of policy measures aimed at ensuring that the skills and qualifications they acquire are internationally recognized. A key initiative in this direction is the introduction of the National Skill Qualification Framework (NSQF), which aligns India's skill standards with global benchmarks, facilitating the mutual recognition of qualifications across different countries. This framework ensures that the skills acquired by Indian workers are comparable to international standards, thus enhancing their employability abroad.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) has established active Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) and Memorandums of Cooperation (MoCs) with six countries—Australia, Denmark, Japan, Qatar, Singapore, and the UAE. These agreements focus on cooperation in skill development and vocational education and training, creating avenues for Indian workers to access better job opportunities internationally. 
In addition to these active agreements, the MSDE is also engaged in renegotiating MoUs with two countries—Germany and France. These renegotiations aim to strengthen existing cooperation in the field of skill development and expand opportunities for Indian workers in specialized sectors abroad. Through these efforts, India is not only preparing its workforce for the demands of the global labor market but is also establishing itself as a key player in the international skills and vocational education landscape.
However, in early December 2024, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), Government of India, reported that 86 Indian nationals were attacked or murdered in 2023 while living abroad. Among these incidents, 12 occurred in the United States, while 10 each took place in Canada, the United Kingdom, and Saudi Arabia. These figures underscore the serious risks that some Indians face while residing or working in foreign countries. 
Smooth and orderly migration should be priority for the Indian emigrants too 
The Government of India has reiterated that the safety and security of its citizens abroad is a matter of utmost priority. There is a need to ensure safe and orderly migration and steps should be taken for addressing the challenges faced by migrant workers from India like revising existing processes, mechanisms, and instruments for promoting international mobility, as well as promoting sustainable international e-mobility and the welfare of online workers, including those in the gig and platform economy while signing bilateral agreements/ MoUs to supply specialized workers in specific sectors. The system for ‘skilling for jobs overseas’ and its available resources are being evaluated, with a focus on addressing issues related to mutual recognition of skills and qualifications across countries in order to avoid issues after emigration. Additionally, migration and mobility partnership agreements (MMPAs) are being signed and implemented properly to facilitate the smooth migration of skilled personnel, students, and professionals abroad, with advocacy for the implementation of existing agreements. 
Policy initiatives 
Further, in the first week of December 2024, the United Nations Secretary-General issued a report on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly, and Regular Migration (GCM). The report outlines concrete measures to minimize the risks of migrant deaths or disappearances. Key recommendations of GCM include ensuring humanitarian actors have access to assist migrants in distress and enhancing data collection on missing individuals. The policy framework for international migration should be designed with a focus on a rights-based approach, ensuring that migration pathways are aligned with labour market needs while safeguarding the dignity and rights of all workers. This approach must prioritize the establishment of clear and accessible redressal mechanisms, enabling migrant workers to seek justice in cases of exploitation, abuse, or unfair treatment. Furthermore, these pathways should be underpinned by the principle of decent work for all, meaning that workers must have access to fair wages, safe working conditions, social security, and freedom from discrimination. By embedding these core principles, the policy can promote sustainable and ethical migration, where workers' well-being is safeguarded, and their contributions to both host and home countries are respected and valued.
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*Assistant Director, National Institute of Labour Economics Research & Development (NILERD).  Note: Views expressed are personal

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