BRICS: The future of work must work for women

Source: Hindustan Times | Original Published At: 2026-09-27 10:30:45 UTC

Key Points

• The 2026 BRICS New Delhi Declaration commits members to forecast skills needs in digital, green and care sectors and to extend social protection to gig and platform workers.
• Women's economic participation is shaped by barriers including unequal access to education and finance, occupational segregation, informal employment and unpaid care responsibilities.
• BRICS cooperation could be strengthened by comparing employment and career outcomes, including paid placements, mentorship, safe travel and childcare, rather than only tracking course completion.
• Green-transition jobs require women's access to apprenticeships, hiring networks and promotion to avoid their concentration in lower-paid support roles.
• Affordable and accessible care services can increase women's paid work while creating employment in the care sector; India's NITI Aayog report proposes a national caregiving policy.
• BRICS members should compare models for registering platform workers and delivering benefits that remain accessible when workers serve multiple clients or move between jobs.
• BRICS CONNECT and a proposed digital repository can support cooperation on employability and skills if they publish evidence on training-to-work outcomes, care policies and social protection.