India's Unemployed Population Comprises 83% Youth: International Labour Organization

In 2022, 83% of India's total unemployed population was made up of the country's youth, as per the India Employment Report 2024, jointly compiled by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Institute for Human Development (IHD). The report was released on Tuesday by Chief Economic Adviser (CEA) V Anantha Nageswaran.

The study revealed that the percentage of educated young people among the unemployed rose from 54.2% in 2000 to 65.7% in 2022. Currently, there are more women (76.7%) than men (62.2%) among the educated but jobless youth. The report indicated that unemployment in India is increasingly concentrated among urban, educated youth.

The researchers also discovered that youth employment and underemployment increased from 2000 to 2019 but declined during the Covid-19 pandemic years. In 2000, half of the total employed youth population was self-employed, 13% had regular jobs, while the remaining 37% had casual jobs. The corresponding figures for 2012, 2019, and 2022 were 46%, 21%, 33%; 42%, 32%, 26%; and 47%, 28%, 25%, respectively.

The study projected that India will add 7-8 million (70-80 lakh) youths to its labor workforce over the next decade. It also identified five key policy areas for further action: promoting job creation; improving the quality of employment; addressing inequalities in the labor market; strengthening both skills and policies of active labor market; and bridging the knowledge deficits on labor market patterns and youth employment.

Commenting on the report, CEA Nageswaran stated that it was 'not correct' to assume that the government must intervene for 'every social or economic problem.' He emphasized the need for a shift in mindset, stating that in a normal world, it is the commercial sector and those who engage in for-profit activity who need to do the hiring.

The report's findings have been criticized by several opposition leaders, including Congress national president Malliakrjun Kharge. The Congress party has identified unemployment as one of its key issues for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.