The Ministry of Labour & Employment on Wednesday signed an initial agreement with Microsoft to enhance job opportunities, expand artificial intelligence-based skilling, and improve workforce readiness across the country. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), inked in the presence of Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, marks a significant step toward strengthening employment linkages and preparing India’s youth for global opportunities.

A key element of the partnership is Microsoft’s commitment to bring over 15,000 employers and partners from its global network onto the National Career Service (NCS) platform. This move is expected to widen access to formal jobs, support fast-growing sectors, and enable Indian professionals to tap into international labour markets. The collaboration also aims to boost AI-driven skilling through the DigiSaksham initiative, equipping millions of young people with skills in AI, cloud technology, cybersecurity, and productivity tools.

Mandaviya stated that the partnership aligns with India’s goal of creating a digitally skilled and globally competitive workforce by tapping into the country’s demographic strength. He noted that India’s social protection coverage has risen significantly from 19 per cent in 2015 to 64.3 per cent in 2025, benefiting more than 94 crore citizens. Integrating AI with platforms such as e-Shram and NCS, he said, will further strengthen social security and help move toward the target of covering 100 crore citizens by March 2026.

Nadella praised India’s progress in expanding social protection systems and highlighted e-Shram’s role in bringing unorganised workers under formal safety nets. He reiterated Microsoft’s interest in supporting India’s efforts to build an Employment Digital Public Infrastructure and modernise job-matching systems through Azure and AI capabilities. According to the ministry, the MoU will leverage Microsoft’s partner ecosystem to widen employer outreach and boost industry adoption of the NCS platform.