# 59% of new EPFO subscribers in FY25 aged 18-25, report shows 2026-08-19T12:25:50+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Nearly 59% of all new EPFO subscribers in FY25 were aged 18-25, according to Quess Corp's latest workforce report. The report also said that of over 57,000 new Universal Account Numbers (UANs) generated in FY26, 79% belonged to workers aged 18-30, with the 21-25 group accounting for over 35% of new UANs. Apprenticeships are emerging as a key pathway into formal employment, with nearly 64,000 contracts facilitated under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme in FY26. The automotive sector accounted for 51% of all apprenticeship contracts. Women made up 28% of new UANs and 26% of apprenticeship contracts. Nearly 69% of the organised workforce is deployed in tier 2 and tier 3 cities, highlighting the growing role of emerging economic centres. The report noted that Youth NEET levels stood at 24.8% in 2025, underlining the need to strengthen skilling initiatives. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both ABP Live and Deccan Herald reported the Quess Corp data as straight wire-style news, with no political slant. ABP Live focused on the positive trend of young workers entering formal employment and the role of apprenticeships, while Deccan Herald added the NEET statistic (24.8%) as a counterpoint, highlighting challenges despite formalisation. The coverage is uniform and factual, with neither source adopting a pro-government or critical framing. The key takeaway for readers is that while young worker entry is strong, the high NEET rate signals a persistent gap in absorbing all youth into jobs or training, making skilling policy a critical area to watch. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - news.abplive.com (neutral report) Leads with young workers boosting formal economy, no critical framing - deccanherald.com (neutral report) Adds NEET challenge data, but overall straight factual report This story was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-19T15:20:44+00:00. Tags: EPFO, National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme, Quess Corp Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/59-of-new-epfo-subscribers-in-fy25-aged-18-25-report/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/59-of-new-epfo-subscribers-in-fy25-aged-18-25-report/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/