Punjab’s unemployment rate more than national average

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, March 6

The unemployment rate in Punjab is more than the national average, reveals the state’s latest Economic Survey that was tabled in the just concluded Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha. The survey report belies the claims made by the Congress government of making efforts to reduce unemployment.

As per the report, the unemployment rate among the youth (between 15 and 29 years) of the state is 21.6 per cent against the national average of 17.8 per cent. The survey cites the figures, taking into account the first year of the Capt Amarinder Singh government in 2017-18. This in spite of the state organising job melas and launching schemes such Apni Gaddi Apna Rozgar (54,513 youths reportedly got jobs till 2019), Yaari Enterprises and StartUp Punjab.

“The mismatch between the aspirations of the youth and job opportunities is the reason behind the high unemployment rate. Unemployment is more prevalent in rural areas and women. With heavy mechanisation of farming, rural youth may be finding it difficult to get jobs,” reads the report.

The unemployment rate among women reduced between 2015-16 and 2018, but it was still higher (11.7 per cent) than men’s (6.9 per cent).

To substantiate the mismatch between aspirations of youth and job opportunities, the survey cites that of the 2.69 lakh applicants registered with the Unemployment Bureau in 2019, 85 per cent were educated (Class X and above) and 91 per cent were categorised as skilled. “This is leading to brain drain from the state,” the report says.

As agriculture growth has reached a plateau, children of farmers are migrating abroad in search for jobs. The survey highlights that more and more farmers are selling off their land to fund the migration of their children to Canada, Australia, the US and the UK.

The survey points out that unemployment rate in rural and urban areas was 7.6 and 7.7 per cent, which had increased by two to 1.5 percentage points, respectively, since the previous Economic Survey.

The survey report also lists steps taken by the government to bridge the gap between skill sets of youth and job opportunities, while pointing out that agriculture and allied activities still accounted for maximum employment followed by the manufacturing sector and construction activities.

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