If 2024 felt like the year organisations learned to live with disruption, 2025 was the year many of those disruptions were folded into law, policy and boardroom strategy. From social-security reform to AI-driven reshuffles, and from new protections for invisible workers to sharper debates on flexible work, HR leaders in India and the wider South Asian region were forced to juggle urgent compliance, reputational risk and a reimagining of the psychological contract between employer and employee.
Social security and liquidity – rewriting the safety net
One of the most immediately felt changes for millions of Indian workers was the reform of provident fund rules designed to give people faster access to cash during unemployment while trying to preserve long-term retirement security. The Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) consolidated and simplified premature withdrawal rules, allowing members to access a larger share of their savings (up to 75%) immediately after job loss, while keeping a portion preserved to protect pension...
