Module Scope
- Does the organisation meet its employment obligations throughout the employment lifecycle in each Indian jurisdiction in which it operates?
- Does the organisation provide lawful remuneration, benefits, working conditions, and employment entitlements to its workforce?
- Does the organisation protect the equality, dignity, safety and statutory rights of employees and workers?
- Does the organisation meet its employment administration, regulatory accountability, and separation obligations across its workforce?
Module Application
The India Employment module guides organisations on meeting their legal responsibilities when employing or engaging workers in India. It addresses employment obligations arising throughout the employment lifecycle, including engagement and employment terms, wages and statutory benefits, working time and leave, equality and dignity, workplace health and safety, employment documentation and regulatory reporting, and individual employment separation.
The India Employment module reflects the interaction between Central employment requirements and State or Union Territory requirements. The requirements that apply to an organisation may differ according to establishment type, workforce composition and size, location, type of engagement and applicable statutory thresholds.
The India-Employment module provides information to organisations about how to comply with legal responsibilities when dealing with the following:
- Determining the employment requirements applicable to establishments and workforce categories across India
- Paying wages and administering statutory deductions, contributions, benefits and other employment-related payments
- Managing working time, overtime, rest periods, holidays and statutory leave, including maternity-related entitlements
- Protecting employees and workers from prohibited discrimination, harassment, forced or bonded labour and unlawful employment practices
- Maintaining workplace health, safety, welfare and protected employment conditions
- Establishing and maintaining lawful employment terms for different forms of engagement
- Maintaining employment documentation and records, meeting regulatory reporting requirements and responding to lawful regulatory oversight
- Managing resignations, terminations, final settlements and other individual employment separations
The India-Employment module also comprehensively covers requirements arising under key Indian employment instruments and legislative frameworks, including:
- The Code on Wages framework
- The Industrial Relations Code framework
- The Code on Social Security framework
- The Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code framework.
- Applicable Central and State or Union Territory rules and schemes associated with those frameworks.
- State and Union Territory shops and establishments, statutory holiday and leave, profession tax and labour welfare fund legislation.
- Legislation addressing workplace sexual harassment, disability rights, transgender rights, HIV-related employment protections, bonded labour and child and adolescent labour.
- Apprenticeship requirements
- Immigration and foreign-national reporting requirements where the organisation are subject to the relevant accommodation or medical-institution reporting obligations
The module also addresses workforce personal data requirements to the extent covered by the employment obligations. The employment content identifies certain substantive Digital Personal Data Protection requirements as future requirements scheduled to commence on 13 May 2027 and treats them as forward-looking requirements until that date.
Organisations and their responsible employment functions are expected to understand both the general employment framework and the particular requirements applying to each establishment and workforce segment. Requirements are not uniform across India, and State and Union Territory legislation may vary applicable entitlements, thresholds, rates, deadlines, documentation requirements and employment conditions.