High-wage jobs continue to be elusive

Minna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, April 14

Despite Ludhiana being an industrial hub, high-wage jobs continue to elude the youth. The educated young brigade believes the problem of unemployment is related to nepotism, corruption, lack of will and failure of leaders to prioritise pro-people policies.

Sahil Tayal, 29, shuttles between Mandi Ahmedgarh and Rampura Phul daily. He believes the job scenario is dismal. “Unemployment is forcing the youth to leave the state,” he says. “Unless industrial development is given priority, employment opportunities will not come,” he adds. Tayal, a civil engineer with an MBA degree, has been managing the family business after his father's demise last year.

Sheikh Anwar Hussain, 27, is doing Chartered Accountancy. “Employment-generating schemes fail when these are reduced to gimmickry. For any job scheme to succeed, transparency is a must. When the corrupt seek bribe, the purpose of such schemes is defeated,” he says.

Unemployment can be combated with skill development, believes Avinash, a student of Electronics and Communication Engineering at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College, Ludhiana. “Job-oriented schemes lose significance when implemented randomly without any proper focus,” he observes.

Muhammad Hamza, 22, is a graduate. He is preparing for the UPSC exams. He says ‘disguised unemployment’ is rampant in Punjab, particularly in villages. “When more workers than needed are employed, they are left without any productive work,” he explains. This is called disguised unemployment.” Hamza believes the private sector must pitch in to generate employment, especially as “our land is rich in human resources.”

Deepening crisis

Patiala: With job crisis deepening, the youth is getting increasingly restless. It has been two years of "Ghar Ghar Naukri" scheme but little has happened on the ground.

Yuvraj Sharma, 22 , a computer engineer, says the government has failed to create jobs in the IT sector. “Most companies at job fairs offer a paltry Rs 10,000-12,000 as salary for an eight-hour job, and that too away from home. This is under-employment,” he says. Randeep Sangatpura cleared TET (Teacher Eligibility Test) years ago. “More than 13, 000 posts are lying vacant in the Education Department but the government has not advertised posts. I don't understand why,” he observes, adding “the government appears more interested in the number game rather than creating job avenues.”  — Karam Prakash