Around 83 % Jobless In India Are Youth; Unemployment Higher Among Graduates: Report
According to the India Employment Report 2024, published by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Institute of Human Development (IHD), nearly 83 percent of the jobless people in India are youth aged below 35. The reports point out that while the education levels improved significantly, the job prospects for the educated youth have diminished, leaving the job seekers in dismay after their graduation. The report also noted that States such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh are the most hit in the unemployment and has struggled over the years.
The report highlights the increased aspiration of the youth and the opportunities that India fails to provide. With the level of education, the youth unemployment rate has also increased, and the highest among the women in this category. According to the report, over 10 million job seekers registered with the National Career Service portal between 2015 and 2019 and nearly 64 percent of them were men aged 15 to 35.
The report further notes that in 2022, the unemployment rate among youths was six times higher for those who had completed secondary education or higher (18.4 percent). It was nine times higher for graduates with 29.1 percent. Notably, unemployment among those who could not read or write were lower than the educated with 3.4 percent.
Youths with technical degrees and graduate-level diplomas are more predominant in regular or formal employment than youths without technical qualifications. While highly educated youth are employed in regular salaried jobs, the youth with little education engage in casual or informal jobs, the report notes. It also stressed the importance of skill training, citing the rapidly changing job market scenarios. It observed that the mismatch in higher education and employability could be the skill gap in the educated youth.
While India is celebrated as a country with a substantial workforce and youth population, the lack of opportunity leaves a large section of the population unemployed, pushing the country into more challenges. According to the report, the country will add up to 1-8 million people to its workforce in the next decade, entailing the expansion of the job market and opportunities.
Meanwhile, slamming the ruling BJP government, the Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took to his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) and wrote, “Our youth is bearing the brunt of Modi govt’s pathetic apathy… ILO & IHD Report conclusively says that the unemployment problem is grim in India.”
He also noted the comment made by the Chief Economic Advisor (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran while releasing the report on March 26. The CEA said that the government can’t solve all social, and economic problems such as unemployment. Kharge said the Modi government”s Chief Economic Advisor protects the dear leader by making such remark.
Citing the report, Mr Kharge noted that Only 17.5% of Youth in Rural areas are engaged in regular work. “Share of people employed in industry and manufacturing has remained the same since 2012 at 26% of the total workforce. The percentage of Youth involved in economic activities decreased from 42% in 2012 to 37% by 2022,” he wrote.
The senior Congress leader further wrote that compared to 2012, youth unemployment has tripled under the Modi government. “Therefore, less young people are now involved in economic activities compared to the Congress-UPA Govt due to an acute scarcity of jobs under the Modi Govt.”
The Congress president then highlighted the Yuva Nyaya, the party’s five promises made ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and explained all the five schemes in his post on X.
Our Youth is bearing the brunt of Modi Govt”s pathetic apathy, as ever-rising Unemployment has destroyed their future.
ILO & IHD Report conclusively says that the Unemployment problem is grim in India.
They are conservative, we are sitting on a “ticking bomb” of joblessness !… pic.twitter.com/qhQYePoBXC
— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) March 27, 2024
