📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Joydeep
Jobs & Career
West Bengal offers 125 days of guaranteed work to lure migrant labourers back
✍️ The Week
🗓 05 Nov 2026, 03:55 AM
👁 12
The West Bengal government announced a scheme promising 125 days of assured employment to attract migrant workers to return to the state.
Kolkata, West Bengal – The state government has unveiled a new employment drive aimed at encouraging migrant workers who left during the pandemic to come back. Under the scheme, eligible workers will receive a guarantee of at least 125 days of work in various sectors, including construction, agriculture and small‑scale industries.
The initiative is being coordinated by the Department of Labour and is part of a broader effort to address labour shortages that have emerged as the state revives its manufacturing and infrastructure projects. Officials said the guaranteed work period will be funded through state budget allocations and will be linked to skill‑development programmes.
State officials have urged former migrants to register online or at local labour offices to claim the benefit. The government hopes the scheme will not only fill immediate job gaps but also stabilize the labour market and reduce the outflow of workers to other states.
The policy has drawn attention from trade unions, which have called for transparent implementation and timely payment of wages. If successful, the scheme could serve as a model for other states facing similar post‑pandemic labour challenges.
The initiative is being coordinated by the Department of Labour and is part of a broader effort to address labour shortages that have emerged as the state revives its manufacturing and infrastructure projects. Officials said the guaranteed work period will be funded through state budget allocations and will be linked to skill‑development programmes.
State officials have urged former migrants to register online or at local labour offices to claim the benefit. The government hopes the scheme will not only fill immediate job gaps but also stabilize the labour market and reduce the outflow of workers to other states.
The policy has drawn attention from trade unions, which have called for transparent implementation and timely payment of wages. If successful, the scheme could serve as a model for other states facing similar post‑pandemic labour challenges.