Current development ·
Four Labour Codes brought into force
The Code on Wages, the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security and the OSH Code came into force on 21 November 2025, rationalising 29 central labour laws.
What changed
The four Labour Codes passed in 2019–2020, the Code on Wages, 2019, the Industrial Relations Code, 2020, the Code on Social Security, 2020 and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020, came into force on 21 November 2025. Together they replace and rationalise 29 central labour laws. Rules under the Codes, including State rules, continue to be notified in stages.
Foundation connections
Use employment for formal and informal work, and regulation and adjustment for how labour regulation interacts with industrial growth.
Exam use and limits
- Prelims: Know the four Codes by name and year, and that labour is in the Concurrent List, so States frame their own rules.
- Mains: Discuss ease of compliance against worker protection, social-security coverage for gig and platform workers, and State-level implementation.
Source: Ministry of Labour and Employment (PIB)