The second BRICS Employment Working Group meeting under India's presidency convened in Thiruvananthapuram with delegations from China, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Indonesia, Russia, South Africa and the UAE alongside knowledge partners the International Labour Organisation, the International Social Security Association and the United Nations India. The meeting addressed three priority areas: social security and formalisation, women’s workforce participation and skills development. The Secretary for Labour and Employment, Ms Vandana Gurnani, emphasised that technological acceleration, artificial intelligence, the green transition, demographic shifts and the expansion of gig and platform work are reshaping labour markets across member states and that social protection systems must adapt accordingly.

Deliberations on advancing social security and labour market formalisation underlined a collective vision for progressive increases in coverage across member states while acknowledging persistent gaps. Delegations agreed that peer learning, knowledge sharing and capacity building through mutual exchange of ideas, challenges and solutions will be central to narrowing those gaps. The proposed BRICS Capacity Building Forum on Advancing Social Security was recognised as a timely instrument to focus on data architecture, technical exchanges and extending coverage to informal, self-employed and gig workers.

On women’s participation, member states reviewed progress and noted structural constraints that continue to limit inclusion in many economies. Participants advocated for inclusive policy frameworks to boost women’s entry into high growth sectors and leadership pathways while respecting national priorities. The consensus favoured pragmatic, evidence-based cooperation and voluntary exchange of best practices to accelerate participation.

Discussions on employability and skills mapping highlighted the need for structured cooperation to improve skills intelligence, enhance comparability of qualifications and facilitate knowledge exchange on digital, green and care economy skills. Delegations underlined measures to reduce skills mismatch through closer linkages between qualification frameworks, skills taxonomy and vocational education systems. States proposed promoting youth employability via expanded apprenticeships, internships, vocational education, entrepreneurship programmes and targeted initiatives for youth not in education, employment or training. Delegates commended the spirit of South-South cooperation and expressed confidence in advancing the proposed outcomes.