New Delhi, Nov. 28 -- Earlier this month, the Indian government notified the four labour codes enacted half a decade ago, with various sections of industry calling them long overdue and expressing hope for a new era of productivity based on mutual trust and respect between employers and employees.

The praise is well deserved. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey, India's workforce size is roughly 560 million, and more than 90% of all workers are engaged in informal employment, whether they work in the formal or informal sectors.

Further, around 79% of the workforce is employed in the unorganized sector, highlighting the scale of vulnerability among workers with limited social protection.

The simplification of compliance norms ...