Over 16 lakh new workers enrolled under ESI scheme in March 2025

NEW DELHI: In a significant indication of formal job creation in the country, about 16.33 lakh (16,32,744 lakh) new workers were enrolled under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme in March 2025, according to data released by the Ministry of Labour. The ministry said in a release on Friday that 7.96 lakh new registrations are coming from employees aged up to 25.

The data suggests an encouraging uptick in first-time job entrants in the formal sector. The data suggests growing female participation in the workforce, as 3.61 lakh women employees were enrolled under the ESI scheme during the same period.

The ministry data further reveals that about 100 transgender employees were registered under the ESI scheme in March. Additionally, 31,514 new establishments were brought under the ESI scheme, reflecting business expansion and compliance with labour laws.

Labour Ministry has reported that 16.33 lakh new workers have been enrolled under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Scheme in March this year.

According to @LabourMinistry, of the total enrollees, approximately 7.96 lakh employees fall within the age group of up to 25 years.… pic.twitter.com/Y5R3O6GDH9

— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) May 23, 2025

The provisional ESI Scheme provides social security and health insurance benefits to workers in the organised sector. According to the data, the number of newly registered establishments during the month was 31,514, an increase of 7,988.

The ministry said that through the data, it is noticeable that out of the total 16.33 lakh employees added during the month, 7.96 lakh employees, amounting to around 49 per cent of the total registrations, belong to the age group of upto 25 years. The payroll data, issued by the ministry, is provisional since the data generation is a continuous exercise.

The Employees’ State Insurance Scheme is an integrated measure of Social Insurance embodied in the Employees’ State Insurance Act. It is designed to accomplish the task of protecting ’employees’ as defined in the Employees’ State Insurance Act, 1948, against the impact of incidences of sickness, maternity, disablement and death due to employment injury and to provide medical care to insured persons and their families.

The ESI Scheme applies to factories and other establishment’s viz. Road transport, hotels, restaurants, cinemas, newspapers, shops and educational/medical institutions wherein 10 or more persons are employed. (ANI)