Xavier Labour Relations Institute (XLRI) was founded in 1949 by Fr. Quinn Enright, S.J. in India's "steel city," Jamshedpur. Fr. Enright visualized XLRI to be a partner in the liberation and development journey of the recently independent India with a vision of "renewing the face of the earth" through academic excellence, personal values and social concern. Over the years XLRI has developed its own identity, the hallmark of which is to not walk on the beaten path but to strike new routes, not to benchmark but to be benchmarked, and to be second to none. Since then, the growth of XLRI has been in keeping with its commitment to "Magis" (excellence in everything), and a spirit of enterprise and innovation pervades the campus.

During the decades of its existence, XLRI Jamshedpur has contributed its best to the professional growth and management of innumerable institutions that serve the public, especially organized industry, labour, service agencies engaged in rural development, education, health, and other public systems. Besides the focus on developing managerial competence among the pupils through acquisition of specialized knowledge and skills, the Institute emphasizes the importance of developing a sense of social justice with right attitudes and values of discipline, dedication and commitment among all its members. The growth and development of the whole person as someone with integrity and ingenuity are the "summum bonum" of the culture in XLRI.