(a) What is the role of International Labour Organisation (ILO) and how has it influenced labour and social policies in India ?…

(a) Role of the ILO and its influence on Indian labour and social policies

The International Labour Organisation (ILO), established in 1919, operates on a unique tripartite structure bringing together governments, employers, and worker representatives. Its primary mandate is to advance social justice, establish International Labour Standards (Conventions and Recommendations), promote fundamental rights at work, and advance the Decent Work Agenda globally.

As a founding member, India’s socio-legal framework reflects significant ILO influence. The Directive Principles of State Policy in the Indian Constitution (notably Articles 39, 41, 42, and 43) draw philosophical inspiration from ILO standards on just working conditions, living wages, and maternity relief. The 2016 amendment that converted the Child Labour Act, 1986 into the Child and Adolescent Labour (Prohibition and Regulation) Act paved the way for India's ratification of the Minimum Age Convention (C-138) and the Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (C-182) in 2017. India has ratified six of the core conventions (C-29, C-105, C-100, C-111, C-138, C-182) but not those on freedom of association and collective bargaining (C-87, C-98) or the occupational safety conventions added to the fundamental list in 2022 (C-155, C-187).

Furthermore, foundational social security institutions such as the Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) and the Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) reflect the principles of ILO Convention No. 102 on minimum standards of social security, although India has not ratified it. The rationalisation of 29 central labour enactments into four modern Labour Codes—on Wages, Industrial Relations, Social Security, and Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions—reflects India's ongoing alignment with ILO guidelines by expanding universal minimum wage coverage and extending statutory social security to platform and gig workers.

(b) Recruitment: concept, methods and suitability for senior roles

Recruitment is the positive process of discovering, sourcing, and stimulating prospective candidates to apply for current or anticipated vacancies in an organisation. Unlike selection, which is a negative process of screening and rejecting unsuitable applicants, recruitment aims to create a viable talent pool.

Methods of recruitment are classified into internal and external channels. Internal methods include promotions, lateral transfers, and Internal Job Postings (IJPs), which motivate existing personnel and reduce onboarding costs. External methods encompass direct recruitment (campus placements, walk-ins), indirect recruitment (advertisements in print and digital media), and third-party sources (management consultancies, employment exchanges, and professional associations).

For a senior position such as Marketing Manager, Executive Search Consultancies (Headhunting) supplemented by targeted professional platforms (like LinkedIn) is the most suitable method. A marketing manager must possess strategic foresight, cross-functional leadership, brand-building acumen, and industry-specific market intelligence. Executive search firms specialise in reaching "passive candidates"—high-performing leaders who are not actively seeking employment but are open to high-impact roles. This method ensures strict confidentiality, mitigates talent scarcity in niche domains, and provides rigorous preliminary competency mapping, ensuring an optimal strategic and cultural fit for high-stakes positions.

(c) Training programmes to prevent personnel obsolescence

Personnel obsolescence arises when an employee's existing knowledge, skills, and technological competencies fail to meet the demands of an evolving workplace, driven by rapid technological advancements, process automation, and shifting market paradigms. It manifests in three interrelated forms: knowledge obsolescence, skill deficiency, and technological inadequacy.

Training programmes prevent personnel obsolescence through structured, proactive mechanisms: First, targeted upskilling deepens an individual's existing technical capabilities to align with modern tools (such as data analytics in decision-making), while reskilling trains employees to transition into entirely new functional roles. Second, cross-functional training programmes broaden an employee’s perspectives, preventing mental rigidity and encouraging adaptive problem-solving across functional boundaries. Third, continuous management development programmes foster an institutional learning culture, instilling intellectual agility and leadership readiness.

By systematically diagnosing skill gaps and deploying regular training interventions, organisations safeguard their human capital against rapid depreciation, thereby sustaining enterprise competitiveness and employee productivity.