New Delhi, Dec 10 (AHN) Global software giant Microsoft will work with the Ministry of Labour and Employment to introduce AI-powered chatbots that will guide workers through key government employment platforms, it was announced on Wednesday.

A central feature of the partnership is Microsoft’s commitment to encourage more than 15,000 employers and partners from its extensive international network onto the Ministry’s National Career Service (NCS) platform.

This collaboration represents a major step in expanding employment linkages, scaling AI-led skilling, and preparing India’s workforce for global opportunities.

This will significantly broaden formal job access, support high-growth sectors, and enable India to develop a skilled workforce not only for domestic demand but also for the world, strengthening pathways for international mobility of Indian professionals and youth.

The e-Shram portal, launched in August 2021 after millions of informal workers lost jobs during the Covid lockdowns, is built on Microsoft Azure. The system can handle up to 172,000 transactions per second and has previously managed up to 8 million registrations in a single day, according to the company.

With the addition of AI chatbots, both the government and Microsoft believe that workers will find it easier to access welfare schemes, improve their employability, and connect with better job opportunities.

The MoU will also expand AI-driven skilling initiatives through DigiSaksham, equipping millions of young people with future-ready capabilities in AI, cloud technologies, cybersecurity, and productivity tools. These efforts will contribute to building a workforce aligned with global standards and emerging industry needs.

Union Minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya welcomed the partnership, noting that it reflects a shared ambition to leverage India’s favourable demographic dividend and create a globally competitive, digitally skilled, and future-ready workforce.

He emphasised that Microsoft’s participation will accelerate job access, deepen skilling, and enhance India’s leadership in global labour mobility.

“India has achieved a historic milestone in social protection, with coverage rising from 19 per cent in 2015 to an impressive 64.3 per cent in 2025, benefiting over 94 crore citizens. By embedding AI into platforms like e-Shram and the National Career Service, we are fortifying social security and moving closer to our goal of social protection to 100 crore citizens by March 2026,” Dr Mandaviya further added.

Nadella appreciated India’s remarkable expansion of social protection coverage, noting that India has now reached 64.3 per cent coverage, benefiting 940 million people.

He specifically praised the e-Shram initiative for bringing millions of unorganised workers into the social protection net and strengthening India’s ability to design worker-centric policies based on real-time data.