Future of Employment: Challenges and Opportunities (FECO)

Alakh Sharma Director, Institute of Human Development

He has made significant contributions to research in varied areas such as livelihoods, poverty, employment, labor markets etc. During his academic career spanning over 25 years, he has directed more than 30 research projects sponsored by national governments, multilateral agencies, and international organizations. He has been a consultant to ILO, UNDP and the World Bank.

Satoshi Sasaki Deputy Director, ILO

He heads the ILO unit for "decent working for South Asia" and has been with the ILO with more than 21 years of experience in areas like enterprise development, entrepreneurship, local economic development, and crisis response. Mr Satoshi has worked extensively with government and international technical agencies including the United Nations and has served in different capacities in Japan, Solomon Islands, Philippines, Bangladesh, China, Thailand and Fiji. Mr Sasaki holds a Master's Degree in Social Development Planning and Management from the University of Wales.

Santosh Mehrotra Visiting Professor, University of Bath

He was Professor and Chair of the Centre for Informal Sector and Labour, Jawaharlal Nehru University. After completing his Phd from Cambridge University, he spent 15 years with the United Nations, heading UNICEF’s global research programme at the Innocenti Research Centre (Florence) and as Chief Economist, Global Human Development Report New York. He currently advises the NITI Aayog, Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Skill Development and is a Research Fellow at the IZA Institute of Labour Economics, Germany.

Mahesh Vyas Managing Director, CMIE

He is the chief architect of CMIE’s Consumer Pyramids database, which is the most advanced household survey in India. He has served as independent director on Geojit BNP Paribas Financial Services Ltd, Centurion Bank and on Quantum Asset Management Company Ltd. He was a member of several High Level Committees and Expert Groups.

Amitabh Kundu Distinguished Fellow, RIS

Dr. Kundu is Chairman of the Committee for Swatch Bharat Mission (Rural). Earlier, he was Regional Advisor on Poverty at UNESCWA, Beirut and Consultant to the Government of Sri Lanka. He was Professor at JNU and Visiting Professor at the University of Amsterdam, Sciences Po and Maison des Sciences de L’homme in Paris, University of Kaiserslautern and University of Wuerzburg in Germany. He is on the Editorial Board of Manpower Journal, Urban India, Journal of Educational Planning and Administration, Indian Journal of Labour Economics.

Uma Rani Senior Economist, ILO, Geneva, Switzerland

She has conducted research on informal economy, minimum wages, poverty and inequality issues with a focus on gender. Since 2016 she has been working on digital transformations in the world of work, wherein she tries to explore how labour and social institutions could be strengthened to address economic and social inequality. She recently coordinated the major flagship report of the ILO on "World Employment and Social Outlook 2021: The role of digital labour platforms in transforming the world of work”.

Kalyan Shankar Assistant Professor, Symbiosis School of Economics.

He completed his PhD from the Department of Economics, University of Pune. He hails from a family of social reformers, scholars and poets in Andhra Pradesh. His research is focussed on issues of social concern in the informal sector. In 2021, he was selected for the Elizabeth Adiseshiah Award, which is presented to social scientists for their outstanding contributions to society.

Ravi Srivastava Director, Institute for Human Development.

He was earlier Chairperson, Centre for the Study of Regional Development, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and full-time Member (2006-09) of the National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector (NCEUS), in the rank of Secretary, Government of India. His main areas of research and publication include labour and employment, migration, social protection, agriculture, rural development and rural poverty, the informal sector, regional development, decentralization, human development, and land reforms. He has carried out major research projects sponsored by agencies such as UNICEF, ILO, The World Bank, UGC to name a few. He is past President of the Indian Society of Labour Economics and current President of the UP and Uttarakhand Economics Association.

Ashwini Deshpande , Professor, Ashoka University

She is the Founding Director of the Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA) at Ashoka University, India. Dr. Ashwini has been working on the economics of discrimination and affirmative action, with a focus on caste and gender in India. She received the EXIM Bank award for outstanding dissertation in 1994, the 2007 VKRV Rao Award for Indian economists under 45 and SKOCH Award for Gender Economics in 2022.

Ritu Dewan Vice President, Indian Society of Labour Economics

She was the first woman Director of Dept. of Economics, University of Mumbai. She is the founder-member of Centre of Gender Economics and is the President of the Indian Association of Women’s Studies. Her research is linked primarily to issues and concerns of the marginalized groups and gender economics.

Sandhya Iyer , Associate Professor, TISS

She is the Chairperson of the Centre for Public Policy, Habitat and Human Development at the School of Development Studies, Tata Institute for Social Sciences. She has been a consultant for projects funded by the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, UNDP. Her current empirical work focuses on Sustainable Development Goals both across Indian States and also among the T20 countries.

Radhicka Kapoor Senior Fellow, ICRIER

Prior to joining ICRIER, she worked at the Planning Commission and at the International Labour Organization, Geneva. Her broad areas of research interests include poverty and inequality, labour economics and industrial performance.

Lisa Magnani , Professor, Macquarie University, Sydney

She serves as an editorial member and reviewer of several international reputed journals and is a member of many international affiliations. She has authored many research articles and books related to labour markets, employment, wages and environmental sustainability.

Rosa Abraham , Assistant Professor, Azim Premji University

Her research focuses on issues at the intersection of labour statistics and women’s work. She has been involved in the State of Working India reports and with the India Working Survey and Covid-19 Livelihoods Survey. She has also worked as a researcher at Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment.

Rana Hasan , Regional Economic Advisor, South Asia Dept, ADB

He heads the Country Programs and Development Results Group, which works closely with the Government to develop ADB's annual operational programs in India and ensure that they align closely with the priorities and objectives of the country and ADB's own long-term development framework. He holds a Doctorate in Economics from University of Maryland, USA and completed his Master’s in Economics from Delhi School of Economics.