WORLD REQUIRES GLOBAL WORKFORCE, CAN'T ESCAPE THIS REALITY, SAYS JAISHANKAR

The External Affairs Minister called for the creation of a more acceptable, contemporary, efficient model of a global workforce, which can then be located in a distributed, global workplace

- ► KALIDAS NEWDELHI

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has said that today's changing world requires a global workforce, stressing that nations cannot escape the reality that demands for a global workforce cannot be met in many countries due to national demographics.

His remarks come amid trade and tariff challenges, as well as President Donald Trump's hardline stance on immigration, including a new $100,000 fee on H-1B visas that largely affects Indian professionals who make up the majority of beneficiaries of these temporary work visas.

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Addressing the event 'At the Heart of Development:

Aid, Trade, and Technology' hosted by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF) on the margins of the U.N. General Assembly session on Wednesday (September 24, 2025), Mr. Jaishankar called for the creation of a more acceptable, contemporary, efficient model of a global workforce, which can then be located in a distributed, global workplace.

"Where tht global workforce is to be housed and located may be a matter of a political debate. But there's no getting away. If you look at demand and you look at demographics, demands cannot be met in many countries purely out of national demographics," he said.

"This is a reality. You cannot run away from this reality. So how do we create a more acceptable, contemporary, efficient model of a global workforce, which is then located in a distributed, global workplace? I think this is a very big question today which the international economy has to address," he said.