Updated
Updated · ETHRWorld.com · Aug 19
India's 18-30 Workers Account for 79% of 57,000 New UANs in FY26
Updated
Updated · ETHRWorld.com · Aug 19

India's 18-30 Workers Account for 79% of 57,000 New UANs in FY26

3 articles · Updated · ETHRWorld.com · Aug 19

Summary

  • More than 57,000 new Universal Account Numbers were generated in FY26, and 79% went to workers aged 18-30, with the 21-25 bracket alone contributing over 35% of all new entries into formal employment.
  • Quess Corp's Pulse FY2026 report, drawing on EPFO, PLFS and industry data, said the trend extends a year earlier too: nearly 59% of all new EPFO subscribers in FY25 were aged 18-25.
  • Employers are responding by expanding apprenticeships, tech-enabled hiring and job-ready skills programs; under NAPS, nearly 64,000 apprenticeship contracts were facilitated, with automotive taking more than 51%.
  • Women accounted for nearly 28% of new UANs and received 26% of apprenticeship contracts, while 69% of the workforce was deployed across tier II and III cities.
  • The report also pointed to a more educated organized workforce in FY26, with 96% having completed at least Class 10, 61% Class 12 or above, and 30% holding graduate or postgraduate degrees.

Insights

Does the surge in formal employment reflect actual new jobs, or simply the formalization of India's existing informal workforce?
With 79% of new formal jobs going to youth, are older, experienced workers being quietly pushed out of the economy?
Are India's booming tier II cities creating genuine career paths, or just providing cheap, temporary labor through apprenticeships?