In a rapidly transforming world of work, organisations need to continuously evolve and adapt to the changing market dynamics for them to grow, transform and thrive. A key differentiator in driving exceptional business performance is to continuously re-shape and transform the workforce of the future. At KPMG in India, we prioritise people in our work. Our professionals collaborate with HR leaders to shape future workforces and utilize effective change management and knowledge transfer methods for sustainable transformations.
Latest insights
Driving growth with Workforce trends
- AIMA Foundation Day
- CII Future Works Summit
- NBFC CFO Meet
- AI skilling and capability building will determine India’s competitive edge
- Labour Codes Go Live
- New Labour Codes Redefine Wages and Benefits
- Historic labour reform: Four labour codes now effective
- Shaping India’s healthcare workforce for the digital era
- Nation Building Is A Responsibility
- HR Transformation - Common pitfalls, challenges and strategies for success
- Smart tech with human touch – The future of HR with AI
- ETHRWorld CHRO Annual Conclave 2025
- NASSCOM People Summit 2025
- Skill Intelligence Summit 2025
- Yezdi Nagporewalla
- Sunit Sinha
- Shikha Kamboj
Gender-balanced leadership is a fundamental driver of organisational success. Yet performance reviews, promotion criteria, and leadership assessments often reflect long‑standing assumptions that can unintentionally shape outcomes for women.
The true test of commitment to DEI lies in how rigorously organisations examine and strengthen evaluation systems to eliminate these biases. As organisations mature, embedding transparent and auditable evaluation practices will not just enhance equity - it will also strengthen long‑term institutional trust and leadership credibility.
Shikha Kamboj
Partner, DT-Cyber Strategy and Govn
KPMG in India
Progress in women's leadership is rising, yet the gap between talent and access remains one of our greatest missed opportunities. Equity will not come from progress alone. It will come when institutions redesign the paths that hold women back and leaders choose to remove barriers with the same urgency that women show in breaking them.
- Arun Sharma
- Naveen Aggarwal
Execution muscle, resilience and adaptability are the key traits, which have powered MSMEs to deliver growth and contribution in Indian economy. For this segment to flourish further, the future leaders and teams in MSMEs surely need to double down on these while leveraging AI and tech enablers.
If India truly wants to become Viksit Bharat, MSMEs, which sit at the heart of our growth engine, must shift from labour‑intensive operations to capability-led AI powered enterprises. The next era of growth will be led by those which invest on talent and skills combined with the ability to adapt at speed. Ultimately, investing in people will define India’s future.
Decoding the new labour codes:
The Labour Codes now made effective aim to transform workplace culture, enhance transparency and strengthen social security for all categories of workers. The legislation intends to make compliance easier for businesses, bring down the multiple licensing & paperwork hassles for companies. For businesses, this also means means revisiting existing policies and practices to align with the new requirements.
Training millions in AI and creating equitable access will be key to ensuring India remains competitive in the global digital economy. Even as India becomes one of the most consequential battlegrounds for AI investments globally, the success of billion-dollar commitments will hinge on the country’s ability to scale talent, build capabilities across sectors and ensure that the benefits of AI are broadly distributed.
The four unified labour codes is a monumental piece of legislation which is comprehensive, progressive, and towards India's development and growth trajectory. The codes demand shared responsibility between government and industry for smooth implementation.
Key actions organisations need to take:
- Re-assess salary structures under unified wage definition.
- Re-evaluate payout and compliance duties for new-age workers.
- Form internal task forces for code rollout.
The new labour codes have overhauled how wages, gratuity, provident fund, pension and other social security benefits are calculated. Under the new codes, employers cannot restructure pay solely to reduce their liability. Permanent employees still need five years to be eligible for gratuity. But repeatedly renewed contracts with no break may not strictly qualify as fixed-term employment, pending clarification.
The Government of India had introduced transformational reforms to simplify and modernise labour laws by enacting the four Labour codes almost 5 years back. An impactful step in that direction has been taken by making it effective from today – 21 November 2025. This move rationalises 29 existing laws and aligns India’s labour ecosystem with global standards.
What are few key aspects?
- Mandatory appointment letters for all workers: promoting formal employment
- Universal social security coverage: including gig & platform workers
- Minimum wages for all: statutory right for every worker
- Mandatory for employer to provide timely wages
- Women empowerment: night shift allowed with safety measures
- ESIC coverage and benefits extended to PAN-India for establishments with employment strength of 10 employees
- Single registration & license: reducing compliance burden
- Free annual health check-ups: for specified workers above 40 years
These reforms empower workers, boost employment, and simplify compliance, paving the way for a future-ready workforce and resilient industries under Aatmanirbhar Bharat.
Forward-looking healthcare organisations are institutionalising digital learning through in-house academies, simulation labs, and collaborations with edtech partners and GCCs. The focus is on ‘learning in flow,’ helping clinicians and administrators gain digital confidence while on the job and seamlessly integrate technology into care workflows. Many organisations are now linking digital competency with career progression, signalling that digital readiness is a core part of healthcare excellence.
Leaders are increasingly being judged by the impact they create on people, society, and the planet. We’ve seen many examples of this in India. Business leaders are driving large-scale skilling initiatives to prepare India’s youth for the future, investing in renewable energy to advance our net-zero ambitions, and creating platforms to support world-class art and cultural experiences.
Successful HR Transformation required more than technology, it demands alignment of people, culture and vision. Avoiding common pitfalls like weak planning and overlooked change management is critical. The organisations that succeed are those that approach transformation as a continuous journey, not a one-time project.
GenAI becomes a copilot, not an autopilot. In the context of HR, leaders and professionals should define the purpose and ethical boundaries of AI use (setting intent), critically assess AI-generated recommendations (validating outputs), and remain accountable for the final decisions and their impact on people and culture (owning outcomes).
- Speed round on compound your CHRO power
- Happiness perspectives on mindful leadership
Speed round on compound your CHRO power: Become a true partner to the CEO
To be a true strategic partner, CHRO must cultivate deep business acumen to anticipate future workforce needs, embrace technology to deliver on promise of superior employee experience, and envision an employee-first culture that drives sustainable growth. CHRO must foster psychological safety so leaders can make thoughtful, people-centric decisions.
Happiness perspectives on mindful leadership: Balancing high performance with inner balance
Mindful leadership is a continuous practice rooted in presence, empathy, and resilience - prioritising holistic well-being, fostering a people-first culture, and inspiring performance through compassion and trust to create sustainable growth and shared happiness.
In a world of algorithmic nudges, productivity dashboards, and hyper-personalized nudges, the role of people leaders is more critical than ever. Leaders aren't just managing talent - they're defending humanity’s right to choose, to err, and to be gloriously unpredictable.
We must design for autonomy, creativity, and consciousness in an AI-shaped world. The future of work won’t be written in code alone.
The workplace is evolving at an unprecedented pace. The future of work is defined by skills - driven by technological advancements, changing workforce dynamics, and shifting business priorities. To stay competitive, organisations must understand and invest in the capabilities that matter most. Artificial Intelligence is already transforming how we work, and as it becomes more embedded in our daily workflows, the demand for human judgment, creativity, and adaptability will only grow. AI is not here to replace people-it’s here to enhance them. The real challenge isn’t the rise of AI, but falling behind those who know how to use it more effectively.
Hear from the experts
Client testimonials
Client Testimonial – Kusum Healthcare
KPMG in India partnered with Kusum Healthcare to drive digital HR excellence - boosting efficiency, accuracy, and compliance. The results speak for themselves:
- 40% fewer manual taskz
- 30% faster recruitment turnaround
- Improved onboarding & hire experience, leading higher productivity
- 25% increase in employee satisfaction with reduced costs
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