Unemployment Problem

The problem of unemployment is a world-wide reality. The developed countries like the U.S., England, France, Germany, Italy, etc. also suffer from this problem, but it is more pronounced in India. With the passage of time it has become worse.

It has become a threat to India's economic well-being and social development. It is one of the major causes of our poverty, backwardness, crimes and frustration among the people. India is the second largest country after China in terms of populations and man-power. But because of large scale unemployment there is no suitable employment for them. They are forced to remain idle.

There are millions of young men and women waiting and waiting for job opportunities. This chronic problem of unemployment is not confirmed to any particular class, segment or society. It is all pervading. There is massive unemployment among educated, well-trained and skilled people, and it is also there among semi-skilled and unskilled laborers, small and marginal farmers and workers. Then there is underemployment. The jobs being created have miserably failed to keep pace with the ever increasing number of job-seekers. It is a problem which presents a great challenge to leaders, thinkers, planners, economists, industrialists and educationists.

Our education system should be reviewed and changed according to our present needs. Like factories our universities, colleges and schools are still producing on a large scale, a rich crop of graduates fit only for white collar jobs in these offices. These graduates are fit only for such jobs as those of clerks, assistants, officers and bureaucrats sitting at tables in the offices. These educated but unemployed youths numbering millions and millions are a source of great anxiety and concern.

Our education should be work-oriented. It should be such as enables a person to stand on his own feet instead of depending on others. It is really an irony that our highly educated and trained personnel like engineers, doctors, scientists etc. run after the government jobs. It is perhaps because of the education system started by the Britishers long ago, which has totally lost its relevance and still prevails. They depend too much on the government and lack the courage and inspiration to stand on their own feet. There should be more and more emphasis on vocational education. There should be more and more technical institutions and training centers. Indiscriminate and unplanned admissions in colleges and universities should also be checked. Higher education should be reserved only for those who really deserved it.

To alleviate this problem of unemployment and under-employment in villages a progressive employment scheme called Jawahar Rozgar Yojana was introduced in 1989. Over 440 lakh families living under the poverty-line are likely to benefit from it. More such schemes are need to create gainful employment opportunities for scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and other backward classes and communities in the rural areas of the country. The rural unemployment has been a major contributory factor of this highest incidence of poverty in spite of our efforts towards development and industrialization.