NT Reporter
Panaji
Formal employment generation in Goa, indicated by the number of workers enrolled with the Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO), grew marginally by 2.5% in 2025-26, according to data from the Ministry of Labour and Employment.
The state recorded 3 lakh registered employees in 2025-26, compared to 2.97 lakh in the previous fiscal year.
The statistics reveal a slowdown in Goa’s formal job growth, which had previously expanded at a rate of 4.5% in 2024-25. Consequently, the state’s employment generation through EPFO-registered entities lagged behind the national average growth rate of 3% for
2025-26.
Presenting the data in Parliament on Thursday, Minister of State for Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said that EPFO payroll records reflect the formal sector’s employment levels, drawing contributing members across 197 industries, including restaurants, poultry farming, plywood units and educational institutes.
The sluggish trajectory in Goa’s EPFO enrolments is attributed to a scarcity of new incoming industries, alongside general apathy among local business establishments toward registering staff under the Provident Fund scheme.
This reluctance is particularly prevalent in the construction, real estate and tourism-related service sectors, the primary drivers of the state’s economy, which remain disinterested in bringing employees under the EPF fold.
To boost job creation and formalise the workforce across sectors, the central ministry highlighted ongoing initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Yojana. Additionally, the government continues to implement the Skill India Mission to skill, reskill, and upskill workers via an extensive network of training centres, apprenticeship programmes and craftsman initiatives to equip youth with industry-relevant skills.
