India maps skilled jobs with around 20 countries to boost overseas employment: MSDE official

Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of WorldSkills Shanghai 2026, Manisha Sensarma, Senior Economic Advisor at MSDE, said the government is mapping demand for skilled workers across countries as several global economies face ageing populations.

What we are doing is that we are now trying to map the job roles with the countries. This exercise we have initiated. There are around 20 countries with which the job roles have already been aligned and this work is on, Sensarma said.

She said overseas demand is particularly visible in sectors such as caregiving and construction, as well as other skilled and semi-skilled occupations.

The global economy, by and large, is an ageing economy in many of the things and we, for a number of years still left, have the demographic dividend to our advantage, she said.

There is a lot of demand, particularly in areas like caregiving and in construction and other skilled and semi-skilled [jobs] in UAE and other countries, Sensarma added.

The effort is aimed at giving trained Indian workers the option to take up employment abroad by aligning their skills with requirements in overseas markets.

So, we are keeping the road open for them. If they want to go abroad, they can go abroad and they can take up employment over there, she said.

Sensarma said training standards in India are also being aligned with international requirements so that the workforce can meet industry demand both at home and overseas.

We are hoping that our workforce would become equipped to meet the demands of the industry, not only within the country, but also abroad, she said.

India is participating in WorldSkills Shanghai 2026 with its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors across 63 skill categories. The competition is being held in Shanghai from September 22 to 27. (ANI)