Battling India’s Unemployment Problem

Creating adequate employment opportunities will be the biggest challenge for the new government that will take over the reins of the country in June. At present, the overall unemployment rate in the urban areas is 6.7 per cent as highlighted in the latest quarterly periodic labour force survey conducted by the National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO). Despite high growth rate, the increasing number of unemployed youth in the country indicates that the progress is not employment-intensive. The situation demands corrective measures at the earliest as joblessness will cause further discord among the youth. The desperation among the unemployed workforce to get jobs is quite visible as they are leaving for countries like Russia and Israel despite the volatile situation in these nations. Opportunists are working overtime to lure unemployed youths of the country with the promise of suitable jobs and sending them to battlefields. Although the Government of India has managed to bring back some of these youths from the war zone, it is believed that many more are still to be rescued.

But bringing back youth who have been duped will not solve the unemployment problem. The nation needs a comprehensive policy to generate more employment avenues. To achieve this, the country will have to strengthen both the primary and secondary sector of the economy which requires more labour force than the tertiary sector. It’s a pity that despite half of the country’s workforce being employed in the agricultural sector, its contribution to the country’s GDP is decreasing each passing year. This fact points to the need to modernise the agriculture sector to boost it and subsequently contribute to the country’s economy. If rural unemployment increases, it is due to the fact that agriculture is no longer a lucrative profession. Many Indian farmers continue to bank on primitive farming methods. As a result, not only are they getting low yields, but the workers are also getting low wages. The situation can be reversed by applying a huge thrust on modern tools and technology. India also needs to strengthen its manufacturing sector, as it too requires a substantial workforce. However, the growth in India’s manufacturing sector is sluggish, and needs to be tackled by increasing internal demand.

A high growth rate without jobs is meaningless, and any further delay in solving the problem can have far reaching consequences both socially and economically. To prevent the situation from worsening, it is pertinent to create opportunity for the jobless youth. In this context, an employment guarantee scheme could help. Additionally, skill training for specialised jobs should be provided instead of relying solely on degrees without practical application. It is time for the nation to embark on a mission to end the ever-growing unemployment problem.