India offers to fund study on skills gap mapping

New Delhi: India has volunteered to fund the study on mapping of skills gap globally, an initiative agreed upon by the G20 nations during India's presidency in 2023, officials said.

The ministry of labour and employment has sought permission from the ministries of home affairs and finance to fund the initiative, a senior government official told ET.

"The study will be advantageous for India as we aspire to be the skills capital of the world," the official said. "Once the mapping is done, India could initiate country and job-role specific migration of its skilled workforce to cater to the global demand."

The study would cost India ₹810,000 or ₹7.24 crore. The plan is to submit the draft of the global skills gap mapping to G20 countries by June 2026 for consideration.

The labour ministry will kick-start the process of bringing in partners who will undertake the study through the country office of the International Labour Organisation.

The key partners in the study include the ILO, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the labour ministry.

While India has already initiated talks with the ILO country office, the labour ministry is hopeful that OECD will come on board the moment funds for the study are sanctioned by India.

The mapping will require all member countries, including India, to share the job data with ILO and OECD for mapping and assessment.