The employment crisis

Unemployment hinders the growth of any nation. According to a report of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO), which was revealed by a newspaper recently, the unemployment rate in India has reached an alarming 6.1 per cent, the highest in 45 years.

The report says that unemployment is higher in the urban areas — 7.8 per cent. The rate is 5.3 per cent in rural areas. However, the government denied the report saying that it’s ‘not verified’. Meanwhile, a social media post highlighting the crisis went viral. A teenager from Kolkata named Shouvik Dutta wrote the post about the plight of a Zomato delivery guy, who was a postgraduate, but was forced to take up that job and plead for a five-star rating from his customers.

Shockingly, Kerala has the worst unemployment rate, in spite of the great literacy rate. Over the past couple of years, India’s economy has been growing rapidly by about seven per cent annually, but uneven growth has meant that there are not enough new jobs to keep pace. Though all the political parties promise to eradicate unemployment during the elections, are they actually doing anything to address the problem? Why is the unemployment rate increasing? Considering the fact that even states with high literacy rates are facing unemployment, does it also indicate the inability of state governments in creating ample job opportunities? Why are qualified people denied good opportunities? Do factors like reservation play a major role in this? What must be done to lower the unemployment rate?