Jaishankar Champions Safe, Legal Migration Amid Global Mobility Needs

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has reinforced India’s commitment to facilitating safe, orderly, and legal international migration. Speaking at the inaugural Human Resource Mobility Forum in New Delhi, the minister emphasized that India has already formalized 28 Migration and Mobility Partnership Agreements with 26 nations, including Germany, Italy, and Japan. These partnerships aim to address the growing global demand for skilled professionals across the tech and caregiving sectors as nations grapple with ageing populations and workforce shortages.

The initiative responds to the risks posed by unregulated movement, which frequently enables human trafficking and exploitative practices. Jaishankar underscored that illegal migration channels ultimately undermine the credibility of legitimate mobility ecosystems and endanger vulnerable workers. The Ministry of External Affairs is actively leveraging technology to combat these issues, most notably through the eMigrate 2.0 portal, which has facilitated over 50 lakh emigration clearances to date. These systemic safeguards serve to protect the interests of Indian workers navigating international labor markets.

The intersection of Artificial Intelligence and automation is poised to significantly reshape labor dynamics globally. While traditional employment sectors face transformation, Jaishankar highlighted the enduring importance of the silver economy, particularly in the healthcare and caregiving fields. Moving forward, the government intends to deepen collaborative efforts with key nations—specifically Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, and Denmark—to ensure that the movement of talent remains a mutually beneficial driver for both the Indian economy and global host nations.