The Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, and the ILO Decent Work Team for South Asia and Country Office for India organized an innovative and interactive event on the Future of Work in India and Young People’s Aspirations, which took place on 10 May in New Delhi.

The Secretary of Labour and Employment, Government of India, Mr Shankar Aggarwal, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in India, Mr Yuri Afanasiev, and other senior government and ILO officials, outlined the critical challenges and policy responses for youth in the areas of education, skill development, job creation, entrepreneurship and social protection coverage.

Mr Shankar Aggarwal in his address informed that the Government of India is very serious about issues of our youth and the challenges of education, skill and employment as well as the importance of technologies.

Mr. Yuri Afanasiev highlighted the current problems by connecting it to the dynamics of the global economy. Among the possible solutions offered by him included harnessing human capital and the synergy between knowledge and the internet.

Young people from diverse backgrounds shared their views with the participants. They stressed the importance of a better education and skill development system, which are linked to employment opportunities, along with the need to tackle gender and other social disparities. The youth representatives also put emphasis on the need for choice and the freedom to make decisions that would enable them to define and fulfil their aspirations. For this to be achieved, more information and awareness is required for youth across the country to make informed decisions, particularly in rural areas that are not well connected.

In her opening address, Ms. Panudda Boonpala, Director, ILO DWT for South Asia and Country Office for India, highlighted the importance of youth empowerment and participation to make their voices heard - actions by youth are critical to achieving decent work. She stressed that only through inclusive and participatory processes, can we tackle critical issues and challenges faced by young people.

A short film clip on ‘Youth in India and their Aspirations for the Future of Work’ was screened at the event. The film was shot on location in 6 different parts of India in Mizoram, Kerala, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Delhi, during April-May 2016 in about 3 weeks. The purpose of the film is to capture a diverse set of views of youth on the future of work and what this means in their lives in terms of challenges, opportunities and areas to be tackled by policymakers and other stakeholders.

The event in which about 200 people participated, a majority of them youth, brought forward a number of ideas, mainly from the young participants, on ways to find solutions to some of the youth issues of today and those in the offing.