Govt May Mandate Private Companies to Notify Job Vacancies

The Central Government is considering a mandatory requirement for private companies to notify job vacancies, signaling a major shift in employment regulation. Plans are underway to replace the Employment Exchanges (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959, with the Social Securities Act, introducing steep penalties for non-compliance—raising fines from a negligible ₹100 to ₹50,000.

State Minister for Skill Education, Employment, and Entrepreneurship, Mangal Prabhat Lodha, emphasized the need to revive and strengthen employment exchanges, which have become largely defunct. He noted that low penalties (₹100-₹500) discouraged companies from reporting vacancies, a practice that the revamped law aims to change.

Currently, most job postings appear on platforms like LinkedIn, Naukri, and Indeed, raising concerns about why the government seeks to duplicate these efforts. To streamline compliance, the government plans to develop a state-specific job portal for companies to list openings. This initiative is part of a broader 100-day action plan aimed at enhancing job visibility and workforce regulation.

Industry experts and job portals suggest that while greater transparency in hiring is beneficial, the new regulation must avoid excessive bureaucracy and align with digital recruitment trends for better efficiency and compliance.