India to deploy 100,000 skilled care workers over next two years

India is gearing up to supply 100,000 skilled care workers annually to the global labour market over the next two years, aiming to support advanced nations struggling with a shrinking working-age population due to ageing. This was announced by Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), during a media interaction on Thursday.

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India is set to emerge as a major global supplier of skilled care workers, with plans to provide 100,000 trained professionals annually over the next two years. This initiative is part of the country’s broader strategy to address labour shortages in advanced economies experiencing a decline in their working-age population due to ageing.

Ved Mani Tiwari, CEO of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC), highlighted this development during a media interaction on Thursday. He noted that in 2023 alone, India sent approximately 20,000 workers to Israel, including 5,000 care workers. “India is rapidly forming pathways to allow greater mobility of its skilled workforce to countries in need. As part of this, it is expected that India will provide nearly 100,000 care workers every year to the world,” Tiwari stated.

To facilitate this workforce expansion, India is undertaking skill-mapping exercises across multiple countries. So far, the NSDC has mapped labour requirements in 43 nations. This initiative involves a detailed analysis of each economy, including job availability and documentation requirements, helping Indian workers better navigate international employment opportunities. The findings indicate high demand for Indian workers in various sectors, including healthcare, social care, renewable energy, manufacturing, and information technology.

A significant milestone in India’s global workforce strategy is its recent agreement with Germany under the Group of Twenty (G20) skills-based migration pathways framework. This agreement increases the number of visas for skilled Indian professionals to 90,000 annually, a substantial rise from the previous cap of 20,000. Such agreements are expected to provide Indian workers with greater employment opportunities and strengthen bilateral economic ties.

The NSDC is also focusing on expanding training opportunities in India’s Tier-II and Tier-III cities, where a large segment of the workforce resides. “With the use of technology and digitisation, every effort is being made to partner students in these areas and bring them on board. They will be skilled appropriately, keeping industry demand in mind,” Tiwari said.

As of January 2025, the NSDC has successfully skilled approximately 40 million people under its ‘skilling, reskilling, upskilling’ initiative. Looking ahead, the organisation plans to establish 50,000 skilling centres across India by the end of 2025. These centres will cater to both new trainees and existing workers in need of additional training. According to NSDC’s assessment, participants in these skilling programs have witnessed a 20% increase in wages and a 15% improvement in employability.

India’s proactive efforts in skill development and international workforce mobility are poised to strengthen its role as a leading provider of skilled professionals globally. This initiative not only addresses global labour shortages but also enhances employment opportunities for Indian workers, contributing to economic growth and international collaboration.