Where Are The Jobs? There Is A Real And Growing Unemployment Crisis In India

Archana, a native of Telan­gana’s Medak district, gradua­ted in 2017 in the science stream with distinction, which the 22-year-old thought was good enough to land her a moderately well-paying job. A few months later she was working as a “domestic help”, her dreams long broken by the harsh reality of India’s dismal job scenario. Her brother, four years older and also a graduate, was also into odd jobs—a delivery boy for Swiggy or part-time driver. Archana hopes to complete her post-graduation which she feels could give her a better chance at landing a job. Any job.

An individual is not representative of job-seekers in a country where there are millions. But held against recently leaked data on the number of unemployed, Archana beco­mes a stark reminder of a growing crisis—India’s unemployment rate in the year ending June 2018 supposedly rose to 6.1 per cent, the highest...