India's Revolutionary Labour Codes: A New Era for Employment Policies

India introduces comprehensive labour codes, overhauling employee categorization, wage structure, and hiring models to enhance workplace governance. Ernst & Young reports significant changes, including a broadened definition of 'employee,' revised 'wages,' and enhanced regulations for flexible hiring and overtime. New laws aim to streamline practices and protect workers' rights.

In a groundbreaking move, India has introduced extensive labour reforms set to transform employee benefits, working conditions, and hiring practices, as reported by Ernst & Young (EY). Notably, the new codes redefine 'employee' to include all workers regardless of duty, hierarchy, or compensation, while 'workers' specifically refer to manual, skilled, and technical roles.

One pivotal aspect of these reforms is the fresh categorization standards, with supervisory roles earning over Rs 18,000 monthly exempt from the 'worker' category. This impacts overtime, leave policies, and labour disputes significantly. The four new codes replace 29 older laws to streamline and simplify labour regulations, fostering improved workplace governance.

Additionally, a redefined 'wages' concept reshapes compensation structures, requiring fundamental wages to form at least half of total salaries, influencing Provident Fund and gratuity payments. These changes, effective from November 21, 2025, encourage flexible hiring models while imposing stringent compliance and accountability measures on employers.

(With inputs from agencies.)