Microsoft partners with India's Labour Ministry to deploy AI chatbots and expand job opportunities

Microsoft India Partnership Targets Workforce Transformation

The Microsoft India partnership with the Labour Ministry marks a significant push to reshape how India approaches job opportunities and AI skilling. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella joined Union Minister for Labour & Employment Mansukh Mandaviya in New Delhi to sign a Memorandum of Understanding that promises to connect over 15,000 employers to India's National Career Service (NCS) platform 1

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. This Microsoft and Labour Ministry partnership represents more than a simple technology upgrade. It signals India's intent to leverage its demographic dividend by preparing millions of young people for future-ready careers in AI and cloud technologies.

AI-Powered Chatbots Transform Access to Employment Services

At the heart of this initiative lies the deployment of AI-powered chatbots designed to guide workers through registration on the e-Shram portal and help them create resumes for better job opportunities on the National Career Service (NCS) platform . The e-Shram portal, launched in August 2021, was built to register India's 400 million informal workers, many of whom lost employment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform can process up to 1,72,000 transactions per second and has supported as many as 8 million registrations in a single day . Microsoft's AI-powered language platform Bhashini, hosted on Microsoft Azure, provides real-time translation in 22 local languages, making registration easier for workers across diverse linguistic backgrounds .

Expanding AI Skilling Through DigiSaksham and Cloud Infrastructure

The partnership will expand AI-driven skilling initiatives through DigiSaksham, equipping millions with capabilities in AI and cloud technologies, cybersecurity, and productivity tools 1

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. This focus on AI skilling addresses the growing demand for a digitally skilled workforce capable of competing in global markets. Microsoft's commitment to encourage 15,000-plus employers and partners from its extensive international network onto the National Career Service platform will significantly broaden formal job access and support high-growth sectors 1

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. The initiative strengthens pathways for international labour mobility of Indian professionals and youth.

Building Employment Digital Public Infrastructure for Future Growth

Satya Nadella expressed Microsoft's interest in supporting India's journey toward building an Employment Digital Public Infrastructure (Employment DPI) and indicated willingness to support this vision in the next phase 1

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. Microsoft's Azure and AI capabilities align with the ministry's priorities for strengthening the NCS platform, e-Shram analytics, labour market intelligence, and modernizing employment services and job-matching systems. Anjali Rawat, deputy director general of employment at the Labour Ministry, explained that data from the portals can help the government create a labour policy that matches workers' skill sets to enhance job opportunities both in India and abroad .

Social Protection Coverage Reaches Historic Milestone

Mandaviya emphasized that India has achieved a historic milestone in social security, with coverage rising from 19 per cent in 2015 to an impressive 64.3 per cent in 2025, benefiting over 940 million citizens 1

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. By embedding AI into platforms like e-Shram and the National Career Service, the government aims to fortify social security and move closer to its goal of extending social protection to 1 billion citizens by March 2026. Nadella praised the e-Shram initiative for bringing millions of informal workers into the social protection net and strengthening India's ability to design worker-centric policies based on real-time data 1

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. This latest initiative aims to bring the advantages of AI to more than 310 million informal workers . The partnership will leverage Microsoft's partner ecosystem to widen employer outreach and enhance NCS adoption among industry, training partners, and institutions, supporting workforce readiness for both domestic and global opportunities.