Unemployment is a situation when a person actively searches for a job and is unable to find work. Unemployment indicates the health of the economy. Unemployment is undoubtedly one of the biggest challenges and burning problems in Jammu and Kashmir. Our educated youth with highest degrees in hands do not find any opportunity in job markets in Jammu and Kashmir and outside the state. According to a survey conducted by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) in April 2023, the state of Jammu and Kashmir had the highest unemployment rate at 23.1 percent. It is crystal clear that Jammu and Kashmir is at the top of the ladder in terms of highest unemployment rate in the country. The growing unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir is a great concern and demands urgent attention and intervention of the incumbent government. Various kinds of unemployment found in the Jammu and Kashmir are disguised unemployment, structural unemployment, seasonal unemployment, frictional unemployment, cyclic unemployment, technological unemployment, open unemployment, vulnerable unemployment and educated unemployment. The educated unemployment is the most common and very high in Jammu and Kashmir. For the last many years, Unemployment rate continues to grip Jammu and Kashmir with an alarming number of educated youth struggling to find employment opportunities. Crime rates of various countries reveal a positive correlation between unemployment and crime. For the last many years, crime rate of the state has also touched new heights owing to rising unemployment rate as one of the main reasons. Lack of employment opportunities whether in the public or private sector cause anxiety and depression among highly qualified youth who resort to other activities like drug addiction. Anxiety and depression is the cause of increasing intensity in heart attacks among educated youth in Jammu and Kashmir. Although the government can adjust a good percentage of highly qualified youth in different departments, few advertisements with limited posts in Jammu and Kashmir take years for completion. Recruitment process at snail’s pace is also adding to the unemployment rate. The gravity of unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir is so high that thousands of educated youth are applying for a limited number of class-IV jobs and therefore they are involved in a cutthroat competition for limited jobs. It is pertinent to mention that some PhD scholars in Jammu and Kashmir are selling tea on roads due to lack of jobs. About 2.5 lakh educated unemployed youth including PhD scholars, M Phil students and postgraduates were registered with the department of employment during a drive last year to count the number of jobless persons in J&K. This number excludes the graduates, undergraduates and those who did not opt for registration at the employment department. There are many factors that are responsible for the growing unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir. The growing neglect and lack of comprehensive job policy by the state government that fails to absorb the educated youth in the government sector.
The dearth of infrastructure and industrial development in Jammu and Kashmir is also the reason for the high unemployment rate. The sick and outdated industries in the state fail to absorb our educated youth and have pushed the unemployment graph very high. Implementation of new industrial policy will achieve inclusive growth and bring economic prosperity through sustainable industrialization and employment generation.
“Good governance, strong administration, skill development education and awareness among the youth along with ‘Special Job creation policy” by the government is the need of the hour and unavoidable otherwise we will lose the young and educated youth which are precious asset of our state. Let’s hope that the chief minister Omar Abdullah will come up with the good job policy for the educated youth to end their anxiety and depression for the prosperity of the Jammu and Kashmir.”
For the last many years, the recruitment process for appointment of teachers, lecturers and constables stopped due to unknown reasons. The department of education and police have been always absorbing a good percentage of educated unemployed youth and reducing the unemployment rate in the state to more extent.
The youth of Jammu and Kashmir do not pursue courses that are relevant to the present job market. Majority of youth stick to courses that are saturated and have lost relevance in the current evolving job market. Skill education under NEP (National Education Policy) 2020 aims to equip students with essential life skills to thrive in 21st century. Despite NEP (National Education Policy) 2020 stresses skill courses to cater the evolving needs of 21st century learners but unfortunately, outdated courses are still considered as career options and therefore pursued by the bulk of youth in the state. Lack of skill development among youth is also one of the reasons for unemployment as there is a mismatch between the degrees of students and jobs, and the youth after completing their education are finding themselves unsuitable for jobs in the market. The Horticulture sector that is the backbone to the Jammu and Kashmir economy and has been absorbing many youth suffered heavy losses for the last many years. Erratic weather patterns, import of foreign countries apples, high cost of pesticides, fertilizers hit the horticulture industry that handshake thousands of employable youth in the sector. Other factors of rising unemployment are rapidly growing population, slow economic development, and lack of investment in productive and labour intensive industries. The rising unemployment among the youth of Jammu and Kashmir has led to serious consequences. The most unemployed youth who failed to get their jobs after completing their education fell prey to anxiety, depressions and some unemployed youth get addicted to drugs and alcohol or attempted suicides. The unemployment among the youth is one of the reasons for the late marriages in Jammu and Kashmir and lakhs of youth have crossed the marriageable age. Unemployment has increased poverty, domestic violence, crimes and illegal and wrong activities in the state. Growing unemployment in J&K is a matter of serious concern; the Jammu and Kashmir government must come up with a comprehensive “job creation policy” to address the issue of growing unemployment. The state government of Jammu and Kashmir must fill up all the vacancies lying in different departments in a transparent manner. Economic growth and unemployment are two sides of the same coin, if economic growth increases, unemployment will decrease and vice versa. To this end, Jammu and Kashmir needs a well-defined industrial setup as soon as possible. Implementation of new industrial policy will achieve inclusive growth and bring economic prosperity. Apart from this, the village industrial sector should also be invigorated. Skill development among youth should be encouraged and new avenues for showing these skills should be made available. Subsidy on loans to be provided to the youth by the government for setting up small scale industrial units, special packages to labour intensive manufacturing sectors like food processing, wood, furniture, etc. and more investment in education, health, police etc. sectors will create more jobs for the youth that will resolve the unemployment of youth to some extent. Effective implementation government schemes like Make in India, Skill India, and Start up and Stand-Up India will make the youth independent and self-reliant and subsequently will make the youth employment providers instead of employment seekers that will develop confidence and encourage the youth of Jammu and Kashmir besides boost the economy of the state. The educated youth of Jammu and Kashmir should know the limited job opportunities in public sector and government cannot provide jobs to every unemployed youth so they should take advantages of holistic schemes to stand at their own feet. The youth of J&K are full of potential and what they need is to channelize their positive vibes and energies with dignified avenues for their sustainable livelihood. Good governance, strong administration, skill development education and awareness among the youth along with ‘Special Job creation policy” by the government is the need of the hour and unavoidable otherwise we will lose the young and educated youth which are precious asset of our state. Let’s hope that the chief minister Omar Abdullah will come up with the good job policy for the educated youth to end their anxiety and depression for the prosperity of the Jammu and Kashmir.
(The Author is a teacher at Govt Boys Higher Secondary School Beerwah, Budgam. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Mushtaq Ahmad Wani
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