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4th Annual International Labour & Employment Conference 2025

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The 4th International Labour Conference, organized by the Centre for Public Policy & Governance (CPPG) at Goa Institute of Management (GIM), in collaboration with INDAM and Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES), successfully brought together a distinguished array of global scholars, policymakers, and corporate professionals. Held on the 5th and 6th of June 2025, the hybrid event fostered insightful discussions on strengthening labour institutions and amplifying worker voice for decent employment—a pressing issue in today’s evolving workforce dynamics.


Keynote Speakers & Thought Leaders

The conference featured an impressive lineup of experts:

  • Ms. Michiko Miyamoto, Director, International Labour Organization, South Asia
  • Prof. A.V. Jose, Former ILO Representative
  • Ms. Madhumanti Sengupta, Programme Manager, FES
  • Dr. Pratima Sambajee, Strathclyde University, Glasgow
  • Dr. Maya John, Faculty, Delhi University
  • Dr. Jeet Singh Mann, Director, Centre for Transparency & Accountability in Governance, National Law University
  • Prof. Joseph Gerard Rajesh, Professor, Azim Premji University
  • Mr. Rajan Verma, Former CLC-C, Govt of India
  • Ms. Ananya Dutta Chowdhury, Senior HR, DVC


Inaugural Session: Ethical Foundations and Systemic Challenges

The inaugural session set a powerful tone, with speakers emphasizing the urgent need to reimagine labour institutions amid technological disruption, platform-based gig work, and rising informality. Prof. Sebastian Morris highlighted how platform workers often lack legal protections and social security, calling for a new-age Enlightenment where the economy serves humanity—not the other way around. Prof. Ajit Parulekar and Prof. Venkatesh Naga stressed that while technology promises solutions, it has intensified precarity, making it vital for HR leaders to ensure equitable treatment for all categories of workers.

Ms. Michiko Miyamoto urged India to align policy frameworks with the goal of decent work and to wisely utilize its demographic dividend. Prof. Kingshuk Sarkar pointed to the poor implementation of labour laws despite progressive policies, while Prof. A.V. Jose advocated for inclusive unions, universal social protections, and the adoption of an entitlement approach to expand the reach of welfare measures. Collectively, the session called for an ethical, inclusive, and policy-driven transformation of India’s labour landscape.

Inaugural session


Diving Into Crucial Themes

The discussions revolved around five fundamental themes, each shedding light on different aspects of labour and employment policies.

1. Assessing Decent Work Deficit in the Indian Labour Market

Labour scholars examined the structural challenges leading to precarious working conditions, highlighting wage disparities, employment quality, and labour migration patterns.

  • Papers presented:​
  • Living and Working Conditions of the Migrants in Kashmir Valley
  • Status of Vocational Education and Wage Gap in the Indian Economy
  • Magnitude of Decent Work Deficit in Regular Wage Employment in Karnataka
  • Social Upgrading in Apparel GVC
  • In Quest of Decent Work
  • Labour Market Inclusion and Survival Movement
Decent Work

2. Strengthening Worker Voice in a Changing World

Panelists explored strategies to enhance worker representation, discussing unionization, collective bargaining, and policy frameworks to safeguard employment rights.

  • Papers presented:​
  • Invisibility and Ignorance: Challenges for Women Mat Weavers
  • The Socio-Economic Barriers Faced by Manipuri Women in Bangalore's Informal Sector
  • A Struggle for Dignity and Visibility
  • The ‘Becoming’ of a Footloose Labour
  • The Role of Trade Unions, Worker Cooperatives, and Grassroots Movements in Shaping Fair Labour Policies in India
  • Visualising the Economic Costs of Working Conditions for India
  • Exploring the Gendered Impacts of Agrarian Distress in Bihar’s Rural Economy
  • Beyond the tokenism and subtle marginalization
Strengthening Worker Voice

3. Building Inclusive Labour Institutions

Academicians and policymakers discussed the urgent need for inclusive labour laws and social protections in the evolving work landscape, particularly focusing on marginalized groups.

  • Papers presented:​
  • Digital Payments and Gendered Labour Allocation
  • Construction Worker Validation
  • The Impact of Generative AI on White-Collar Work in India
  • More Women at Work, Fewer with Dignity
  • A Regional Analysis of Migrant and Non-migrant households in Odisha, eastern India
  • Gendered Household Labour Division and Its Impact on Marital Satisfaction among Dual-Earner Couples in Guwahati
Inclusive Labour Institutions

4. Strengthening Labour Regulation for Impact

Experts delved into legislative advancements and implementation gaps, assessing how regulatory reforms could bridge the divide between policy intent and workforce realities.

  • Papers presented:​
  • Decent vs. Non-Decent Work: Measuring the Wage Gap in India
  • Delivering the Gig Workers
  • Women in Transit
  • Policy Shifts and Institutional Gaps
  • How Indian Gig Drivers Reclaim Power in Platform Work
  • Labour Force Participation in Goa
  • A Study on the Labour Conditions of Labourers in Cochin Special Economic Zone
Strengthening Labour Regulation

5. Can Standard Growth Models Deliver Decent Employment?

This session sparked debates on whether conventional economic growth models are sufficient to generate fair employment and addressed the role of alternative approaches.

  • Papers presented:​
  • Cultural Assimilation and the Labour Market Outcomes of Immigrants
  • Decent Work Deficits Among Women in Mid- Level Private Sector Jobs in Urban India
  • Statistical Analysis of Rural Development centric Skill Initiatives in India
  • Decoding Employment Quality in India’s Urban Labour Market
  • Technological Change and Impact on Labour Market
  • New Labour Institutions in Indian Garment Industry


Expert Panels & Thought-Provoking Discussions

The second day concluded with a high-impact panel discussion on improving labour law implementation for ensuring labour rights, moderated by Prof. Kingshuk Sarkar (Area Chair, General Management & Public Policy Area, GIM). The dialogue focused on trade unions, worker cooperatives, and grassroots movements as potential instruments for shaping fair labour policies.

Panel discussion

Valedictory Session: Charting the Road Ahead

In the closing session, Prof. Morris emphasized the importance of focusing on labour issues within the IT sector in upcoming conferences, encouraging industry-academia partnerships to guide policy formation. Ms. Michiko Miyamoto reiterated that scholars hold the power to influence policy. “Academics must tap into their network capital to shape equitable labour frameworks and support the ILO’s vision of worker protection,” she noted.

Valedictory Session


Academic Insights & Research Contributions

The conference hosted multiple technical sessions, where scholars presented groundbreaking research on topics ranging from the gig economy’s impact on labour rights to the role of AI in shaping employment trends. Papers covered migrant labour challenges, gender disparities, policy effectiveness, and more.

For academicians, the conference provided critical research insights into employment structures and labour market shifts. For policymakers, it highlighted regulatory gaps and workforce challenges demanding urgent intervention. For corporate professionals, it underscored the need for ethical employment practices and enhanced worker engagement.

Research Contributions

The Way Forward

With its multidisciplinary approach, the GIM Labour & Employment Conference remains a pivotal platform for shaping labour policy discourse. The 4th edition not only addressed crucial employment concerns but also laid the groundwork for future collaborations between academia, policymakers, and corporate leaders. The discussions underscored the urgent need for stronger labour institutions that not only ensure fair employment but also empower workers in a rapidly transforming economic landscape. As global economies continue evolving, fostering a pro-worker regulatory environment is essential for sustainable development.


About CPPG:
 The Centre for Public Policy and Governance is an initiative of the Goa Institute of Management dedicated to research, policy-making, and governance in India and emerging economies. CPPG fosters the intersection of management, administration, and public policy to create actionable insights for decision-makers.

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