The new data has put Jammu and Kashmir’s unemployment figures at over 3.70 lakh young people, many of them graduates and postgraduates. There are thousands of others who have not registered with the government and so aren’t visible. While schemes like Mumkin, Tejaswini, and Parvaaz under Mission Youth have been introduced, they have made little redeeming difference. And one can understand why: adhoc schemes can hardly address as gigantic a problem as unemployment. We need a structured, long-term plan that goes beyond quick fixes.
On a positive note, the government has decided to set up a committee for regularization of the services of daily wagers, ad-hoc workers, and contractual employees, who are more than 67,000 in number. They form the backbone of essential services, yet they earn meager wages and consequently are in a constant state of insecurity.
That said, the government can hire more: Nearly 32,474 vacancies exist in government departments, yet only 3,727 posts have been referred for recruitment in recent months. So, it would be in the fitness of things that the elected government expedite the recruitment process and ensure these posts are filled in a time-bound manner.
However, the overall employment scenario in J&K remains bleak, and a few thousand more government jobs would do little to address it. We also need a robust private sector to absorb a growing workforce. Similarly, we need scaling up of the initiatives like skill development programs, startup incubators, and small-business support.
The situation becomes challenging in the absence of alternative job options for the left-out youth. For one, the private sector in J&K, especially in Kashmir Valley, remains underdeveloped. And for another, rise of technology is also threatening to take over a substantial portion of jobs reserved for humans. In its Future of Jobs Report 2025, the World Economic Forum (WEF) has predicted that the new technology will displace 92 million human jobs by 2030. On a positive note, 170 million new jobs will be created, resulting in 78 million net new jobs.
It is now known that the rate of unemployment in J&K us higher than the national average. Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data has already shown that union territory has among the highest unemployment rates in India at 23.1 percent. Now the question is how the government will deal with this gargantuan crisis by providing employment to lakhs of educated youth and also ensuring that the less educated and uneducated are also engaged in productive work. This is easier said than done. But the government also can’t afford to sleep over the problem. The need is for a multi-pronged strategy with a particular thrust on upskilling to increase the opportunities and the prospect for employment for an ever growing number of the educated youth and the uneducated too.
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
