The outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis has disrupted the global socio-economic landscaperesulting in an unprecedented decline in GDP growth, loss of lives and livelihoods ofmillions, and increased poverty and inequality. According to International LabourOrganization (ILO 2021), 255 million full-time jobs are estimated to have been lost in 2020due to the pandemic. As countries recovered from the COVID-19 shock in 2022, 52 millionfull-time jobs are yet to recover. The ILO (2022) shows that the labour markets recovery ishighly uneven across the countries. While the high-income countries recovered the fastest,lower-middle-income registered a slow-paced recovery. As many scholars pointed out, Indiawas grappling with very high levels of unemployment even before COVID-19 struck theeconomy. This situation worsened with the pandemic-induced lockdowns, with millions ofpeople going without work for an extended period, resulting in a loss of income.