NCS 2.0 portal to come soon with AI/ML technology; officials plan industry feedback

With the Centre’s National Career Service portal registering over 1 crore vacancies in FY24, the government is now looking at further measures to boost the online platform that matches employers with job seekers.

The ministry of labour and employment is now working to launch a second-generation version of the portal, which aims to match employers with job seekers. “The launch of NCS 2.0 will revolutionise job matching and skill enhancement through cutting edge technologies like Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning,” said a source close to the development, adding that it is likely to be launched soon.

Officials also believe that there needs to be more of an industry connect to boost employability of these candidates and plan to take inputs from firms on requisite qualifications and skills that they look for in job seekers. “In the coming months, the plan is to get more feedback from companies on what kind of skills they are looking for in candidates. This way candidates can also look up skilling courses on the portal and brush up their knowledge,” noted an official.

According to official data, the NCS portal registered 10.9 million vacancies in FY24, registered a 214% increase from 3.48 million vacancies in FY23. It also helped shortlist 8.73 million potential candidates for these jobs last fiscal. On a monthly basis, the portal hosted around 1 million job vacancies. Vacancies on the portal increased mainly in finance and insurance, construction, manufacturing, transportation and storage, operations and support and IT and communication.

Launched in 2015, the NCS portal provides a host of employment related portals. Along with active vacancies, it also offers career counselling, skilling courses, vocational guidance and also has information on job fairs. It is also integrated with facilities of states and Union Territories to provide an all India coverage and also works with private job portals to provide additional job opportunities to users.