On August 27, 2025, the Chandigarh administration proposed creating an independent agency—modeled on Haryana’s Kaushal Rozgar Nigam—to manage outsourced hiring across departments. The move responds to long-standing grievances from over 17,000 contractual workers, who face delayed salaries, denied EPF/ESI, abrupt terminations, and arbitrary deductions from changing contractors, especially within the municipal corporation. The new agency aims to enforce merit-based hiring, fair wages, and statutory benefits—addressing both labor injustice and administrative gaps. @TimesOfIndia, @Hindpositive (via official quotes)
For a sanitation worker in Chandigarh, stuck between contractor chaos and unpaid wages, the idea of a standardized hiring agency isn’t bureaucratic—it’s hope. Trust, loyalty, and morale are at stake when workers can lose pay overnight due to contract shifts. This proposal represents a possible shift from exploitation corridors to equitable institutional accountability. HR leaders in similar contexts feel the pull: time to move from patchwork contracts to people-first systems that treat workers with dignity, not disposability.
This initiative edges toward compliance reform, supplementing the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act with operational oversight. HR and administrative teams must design transparent hiring metrics, seamless transition frameworks during contract expiry, and digital registers for payroll and benefits. There's also precedent alignment with global clients that demand fair treatment across supply chains. If implemented well, this could set a new benchmark for public-sector workforce integrity—with improved satisfaction, reduced litigation, and smoother governance.
If your org could replace contractors with a central hiring panel, what’s one benefit you'd expect?
Should HR hold internal fairs to help outsource workers get regular benefits faster?
For a sanitation worker in Chandigarh, stuck between contractor chaos and unpaid wages, the idea of a standardized hiring agency isn’t bureaucratic—it’s hope. Trust, loyalty, and morale are at stake when workers can lose pay overnight due to contract shifts. This proposal represents a possible shift from exploitation corridors to equitable institutional accountability. HR leaders in similar contexts feel the pull: time to move from patchwork contracts to people-first systems that treat workers with dignity, not disposability.
This initiative edges toward compliance reform, supplementing the Contract Labour (Regulation & Abolition) Act with operational oversight. HR and administrative teams must design transparent hiring metrics, seamless transition frameworks during contract expiry, and digital registers for payroll and benefits. There's also precedent alignment with global clients that demand fair treatment across supply chains. If implemented well, this could set a new benchmark for public-sector workforce integrity—with improved satisfaction, reduced litigation, and smoother governance.
If your org could replace contractors with a central hiring panel, what’s one benefit you'd expect?
Should HR hold internal fairs to help outsource workers get regular benefits faster?
The proposed centralized hiring agency could bring several benefits to an organization. One of the most significant advantages would be the standardization of hiring practices, which could lead to more fairness and transparency in the recruitment process. This could also help to reduce the risk of labor exploitation and ensure that all workers receive their statutory benefits, including EPF/ESI.
As for holding internal fairs to help outsourced workers get regular benefits faster, this could be a very effective strategy. These fairs could serve as a platform for workers to learn about their rights and the benefits they are entitled to, and for the organization to ensure that these rights are being respected. This could also help to build trust between the workers and the organization, which could lead to increased loyalty and morale.
However, it's important to note that the success of these initiatives would depend on a number of factors, including the organization's commitment to fair labor practices, the effectiveness of the hiring agency, and the willingness of the workers to engage with these new systems. Therefore, while these proposals are promising, they should be implemented with careful planning and consideration.
From India, Gurugram
As for holding internal fairs to help outsourced workers get regular benefits faster, this could be a very effective strategy. These fairs could serve as a platform for workers to learn about their rights and the benefits they are entitled to, and for the organization to ensure that these rights are being respected. This could also help to build trust between the workers and the organization, which could lead to increased loyalty and morale.
However, it's important to note that the success of these initiatives would depend on a number of factors, including the organization's commitment to fair labor practices, the effectiveness of the hiring agency, and the willingness of the workers to engage with these new systems. Therefore, while these proposals are promising, they should be implemented with careful planning and consideration.
From India, Gurugram
CiteHrThink-tank,
The Haryana’s Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, is the new form of Employment Exchange. The Old Wine in New Bottle.
The National Employment Service (NES) was established in India in July 1945 and decentralised to state level in the year 1956.
The poor governance and in absence of proper monitoring, the whole system turned sick and paralyzed.
The primary to bridge between job seekers and employers by facilitating job matching, providing career counseling, and disseminating employment market information. They do this by maintaining databases of job seekers and vacancies, offering vocational guidance, and providing data for manpower planning to reduce unemployment and improve the efficiency of the labor market.
1. Functions of Employment Exchanges
Job Matching and Placement:
Registeration of job seekers, collect details of their qualifications and skills, and then refer them to suitable job vacancies notified by employers.
2. Career Counseling and Vocational Guidance:
They offer guidance and counselling to help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths and acquire marketable skills.
Employment Market Information (EMI):
Employment exchanges collect, compile, and publish data on employment trends and available job opportunities, which helps in manpower planning.
Information Dissemination:
They provide information on government schemes, training programs, and skill development initiatives to enhance the employability of job seekers.
Facilitating Self-Employment:
Some exchanges also conduct studies to assess skills and market needs, encouraging job seekers, particularly in rural areas, to consider self-employment options.
Assistance for Specific Groups:
They run special programs to assist specific groups like the youth, differently-abled individuals, and women in finding suitable employment.
Manpower Planning:
By providing comprehensive employment market information, they contribute to effective labor force management and economic development.
The government should prioritize and make law, that all employment vacancies of Govt. and Private sector needs to be routed through the employment exchange. Thus would give sanctity of regional hood. The over and excess skilled set manpower move elsewhere, requirement is existing.
From India, Mumbai
The Haryana’s Kaushal Rozgar Nigam, is the new form of Employment Exchange. The Old Wine in New Bottle.
The National Employment Service (NES) was established in India in July 1945 and decentralised to state level in the year 1956.
The poor governance and in absence of proper monitoring, the whole system turned sick and paralyzed.
The primary to bridge between job seekers and employers by facilitating job matching, providing career counseling, and disseminating employment market information. They do this by maintaining databases of job seekers and vacancies, offering vocational guidance, and providing data for manpower planning to reduce unemployment and improve the efficiency of the labor market.
1. Functions of Employment Exchanges
Job Matching and Placement:
Registeration of job seekers, collect details of their qualifications and skills, and then refer them to suitable job vacancies notified by employers.
2. Career Counseling and Vocational Guidance:
They offer guidance and counselling to help job seekers make informed decisions about their career paths and acquire marketable skills.
Employment Market Information (EMI):
Employment exchanges collect, compile, and publish data on employment trends and available job opportunities, which helps in manpower planning.
Information Dissemination:
They provide information on government schemes, training programs, and skill development initiatives to enhance the employability of job seekers.
Facilitating Self-Employment:
Some exchanges also conduct studies to assess skills and market needs, encouraging job seekers, particularly in rural areas, to consider self-employment options.
Assistance for Specific Groups:
They run special programs to assist specific groups like the youth, differently-abled individuals, and women in finding suitable employment.
Manpower Planning:
By providing comprehensive employment market information, they contribute to effective labor force management and economic development.
The government should prioritize and make law, that all employment vacancies of Govt. and Private sector needs to be routed through the employment exchange. Thus would give sanctity of regional hood. The over and excess skilled set manpower move elsewhere, requirement is existing.
From India, Mumbai
Creating an umbrella agency by the Local Administration for the multi-department management of outsourced works would surely bring a +ve change as far as statutory compliances are concerned and the crude exploitation by the contractors would come down substantially. Yet, it will not meet the aspirational needs of these workmen since they remain contract labour and there is no employer-employee relationship with the departments concerned. It remains to be seen the extent of compliance.
From India, Bhopal
From India, Bhopal
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(Fact Checked)-Your detailed explanation of the functions of Employment Exchanges is spot on. However, making it mandatory for all vacancies to be routed through them might be challenging. (1 Acknowledge point)