In an effort to provide job opportunities to workers returning back from overseas, the Indian government is conducting an exercise to map the skills of workers under SWADES (Skilled Workers Arrival Database for Employment Support) initiative.

The exercise, kick-started under the Vande Bharat Mission, aims to create a database of qualified citizens based on their skillsets and experience, which can be tapped into to fulfill the demand of Indian and foreign companies.

The top countries from where the citizens have returned are the UAE, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia. These have been primarily employed in sectors such as Oil and Gas, Aviation, Construction, Tourism and Hospitality, and IT & ITeS. 

The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), under the Skill India Mission, has united with the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Ministry of External Affairs for the initiative.

Under the program, the returning citizens are required to fill up a SWADES skill form following which the SWADES skill cards will be issued. The ministry will share the collected information with the companies for suitable placement opportunities in the country.

“The card will facilitate a strategic framework to provide the returning citizens with suitable employment opportunities through discussions with key stakeholders including state governments, industry associations and employers,” the Skills Development Ministry shared in a statement. So far, close to 7,000 registrations have been made so far.