Srinagar| WTNS| Agha Syed Amin Musvi | Nov 12:Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) is grappling with a severe unemployment crisis, with 3.52 lakh youth registered as unemployed in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Directorate of Employment (DoE). Of these, 1.09 lakh are graduates and postgraduates, accounting for 31% of the total.

Director of Employment, Nisar Ahmad Wani, revealed that the number of unemployed graduates and postgraduates rose from 99,322 in the last quarter of 2023 to over 1.09 lakh, marking an increase of 10,000.

The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) further highlighted the gravity of the issue, reporting an unemployment rate of 23.1% in J&K, among the highest in India. However, the J&K government’s 2023 Economic Survey offered a different perspective, indicating a decline in unemployment from 6.7% in 2019-20 to 5.2% in 2021-22. Despite this, the survey noted a quarterly urban unemployment rate of 13.5% for October-December 2022, significantly higher than the national average of 8.2%, as per Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data.

Adding to the complexity, over 3 lakh government vacancies remain unfilled across critical sectors like education, law enforcement, and public administration. This has left many qualified candidates in uncertainty.

Recruitment Progress and Challenges

JKSSRB Chairperson Indu Kanwal Chib provided updates on recruitment, stating that 22,624 selections have been finalized since 2019, with 874 more under process. Additionally, exams for 4,921 posts are scheduled in the coming weeks, while 3,299 posts are prepared for advertisement but are stalled due to clarifications or legal disputes.
Key unfilled positions include 1,336 in the Home Department, 415 in Health and Medical Education, 314 in Jal Shakti, and 292 in Power Development.

Despite these efforts, the significant gap between job availability and demand underscores the pressing need for streamlined recruitment processes and strategic employment initiatives to address J&K’s unemployment crisis.