In an employment center on the outskirts of Bombay, the financial capital of India, Mahesh Bhopale dreams of a well-paying government job, like millions of other young graduates and unemployed in the country.
It’s an inescapable reality for politicians in the world’s most populous nation ahead of elections that begin April 19: One of the world’s fastest-growing economies does not have enough skilled jobs for its well-educated youth.
“The only way out of this life is to get a government job with good benefits.”says Bhopale, a 27-year-old biology graduate. “This will help us get married and start a family”.
Until now he has earned a living with part-time jobs as a tailor’s assistant or security guard, while preparing for the tough civil service exams.
Coming from the countryside to the big city, Bhopale has no contacts to advance in the private sector. “Educated village people like us cannot get well-paid jobs in the private sector,” the Mint.
It is not a unique case. The International Labor Organization estimates that a 29% of young college graduates in India were unemployed in 2022.
The proportion is almost nine times higher than for those without diplomas, who often find low-paid jobs in the service sector or construction.
Demographic expansion
The problem is large: almost half of India’s 1.4 billion people are under 30 years old, according to government data.
“Jobs are not increasing as quickly as the workforce is expanding demographically”says economist R. Ramakumar of the Tata Institute of Social Services in Bombay.
““This is one reason you see such a large number of applicants for a handful of government jobs,” point.
It also explains “the urgency of people to leave India through illegal channels”looking for jobs in the United States or Canada, he adds.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, favorite to win a third term in the upcoming elections, claims his success in convincing technology giants such as Apple and Dell to set up shop in India.
But his critics accuse him that this has not led to the creation of millions of manufacturing jobs that the population is demanding.
The World Bank warned this month that India, like other South Asian countries, “is not creating enough jobs to keep pace with the rapid growth of its working-age population.”
Many young Indians have no choice but to join the fight for a government job, with a decent salary, benefits and job security.
The state-owned railway company Indian Railways, for example, receives millions of applications for hundreds of thousands of low- and mid-level jobs.
Ganesh Gore, 34, says he has run unsuccessfully for the opposition on five occasions.
“No party or politician helps us”the Mint. “They’re sitting there eating the money.”
Some try riskier options. At the beginning of the year, thousands of people offered themselves as candidates to work in Israel, given the labor shortage generated by the war in Gaza.
“Millionaires and billionaires”
India will surpass the United Kingdom in 2022 to become the fifth largest economy in the world. In the last quarter of 2023, its GDP grew a robust 8.4%, supported by the manufacturing sector.
But the frustration of many young people continues to increase due to the lack of opportunities. In December, a group of protesters, angered by high rates of youth unemployment, threw smoke canisters at Parliament, chanting anti-government slogans.
Saraswati Devi’s daughter Neelam was arrested following that protest.
“She is highly qualified, but she can’t find a job.”. He used to say: ‘I should die because, despite having studied so much, I can’t earn my bread’”the mother declared to a local media.
But it is not clear that this anger will translate into electoral punishment for Modi’s party.
According to a March survey of students in New Delhi, only one 30% blames the government for high unemployment, said the Lokniti-CSDS research center.
Still smarting from his last failed exam, Gore blames the country’s tycoons who, in his opinion, manipulate politicians and take advantage of national growth without supporting the population.
“The country is run by a handful of millionaires and billionaires,” Gore says. “Politicians don’t have much influence.”
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Source: Gestion
Ricardo is a renowned author and journalist, known for his exceptional writing on top-news stories. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he is known for his ability to deliver breaking news and insightful analysis on the most pressing issues of the day.
