Recognizing The Invisible Workforce: 20,000 Domestic Workers Receive Skill Certification

In December 2025, a significant step was taken towards formalising and empowering India’s domestic workforce, as around 20,000 domestic workers were awarded skill certificates under a joint initiative of the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) and the labour department. This development marks an important socio-labour milestone in a sector that has traditionally remained informal, unregulated and largely invisible within the employment framework.

The certification initiative is aimed at recognising the skills of domestic workers who perform essential services such as housekeeping, caregiving, cooking and allied household support functions. By formally validating their skills, the programme seeks to improve employability, standardise service quality and enhance dignity of labour for workers who often operate without written contracts or structured employment protections.

Beyond employability, the certification drive has wider implications for social security inclusion. Skill recognition acts as a gateway for domestic workers to access welfare schemes, training opportunities and formal benefit mechanisms linked to government databases. It also strengthens the foundation for integrating domestic workers into the broader social security ecosystem envisaged under India’s evolving labour and employment framework.

From a regulatory and policy perspective, this initiative reflects a growing focus on bringing informal workers within the ambit of structured labour governance. Domestic work has long existed at the margins of labour regulation, despite employing millions across urban and semi-urban India. Certification efforts such as this indicate a gradual shift towards acknowledging domestic workers as part of the recognised workforce, rather than as purely private or informal service providers.

For employers of domestic workers and placement agencies, this development also signals a move towards greater standardisation and accountability. As skill certification and worker databases expand, expectations around fair wages, working conditions and welfare contributions may increasingly gain policy traction in the future.

Overall, the December 2025 certification of nearly 20,000 domestic workers represents more than a training exercise. It is a step towards formal recognition, improved livelihoods and social security access for a segment of workers that forms the backbone of everyday household functioning, while reinforcing the broader national objective of inclusive and dignified employment.