Four Codes. Twenty-nine laws repealed.
India’s labour law framework has fundamentally changed.
The Government of India brought all four Labour Codes into force on 21 November 2025. Final rules are expected by April 2026. This is the most significant overhaul of Indian labour law in seven decades — affecting employers, employees, and every working professional in the country.
In a landmark step for Indian employment regulation, the Government of India notified all four Labour Codes — the Code on Wages, the Industrial Relations Code, the Code on Social Security, and the OSH Code — effective 21 November 2025. In one legislative move, 29 central labour laws were repealed and replaced by a unified, modernised framework.
Central draft rules were published on 30 December 2025. Stakeholder consultations have closed. Final rules are targeted for notification by April 2026, at which point full enforcement begins. States must also notify their own rules; several have already done so, with others expected to follow in the weeks after central notification.
For employers, the obligations are material: wage structures require restructuring, employment contracts need updating, and payroll systems need reconfiguration. For employees and workers, the changes bring new protections — a guaranteed minimum wage floor, gratuity from year one for fixed-term staff, mandatory appointment letters, and formal social security coverage for gig and platform workers for the first time.