The Narendra Modi government’s announcement to recruit 10 lakh people in different Central government departments and ministries in the next 18 months is certainly a gigantic effort to win over voters ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, and checkmate Opposition moves of using unemployment as an election issue. Nonetheless, it is a welcome announcement when the nation is grappling with the biggest crisis of unemployment, one that could turn the dynamics and bring about a paradigm shift in the job environment, if it sees the light of the day.
The employment statistics of India paint a very grim picture. Official estimates indicate that India has 13 million job seekers against only 2.2 lakh vacancies. Given the lack of jobs, youth have been left with no other option but to either take up menial jobs or seek opportunities abroad. Figures indicate that labour participation has dropped from 46 per to 40 per cent between 2017 and 2022. India’s joblessness peaked at 23.5 per cent in April 2020 as Covid made its presence felt. From December 2021 to February 2022, the unemployment average hovered around 8 to 7.5 per cent.
Modi’s job announcement may be purely election-targeted, but the government has to look beyond and India has to keep going through this exercise of creating jobs from time to time because of the increasing proportion of people seeking jobs. The McKinsey Global Institute report of 2020 pointed out that India needs to create at least nine crore non-farms jobs by the year 2030. Let's not forget the government’s budget promise to create six million jobs in the next five years and assurance in 2014 to create two crore jobs every year. As per the current rate, the government is far behind its promise.
Cut into Goa and Chief Minister Pramod Sawant expectedly sounded euphoric over the announcement and termed it as a “big opportunity” for job seekers while indicating that Goans have to get into competitive exams to tap into these openings.
However, it is easier said than done. Central government jobs may be up for grabs, but the road there is not easy. Let's not forget that there are no State-wise or minister-wise quotas that Goa has been familiar with, but pure merit. Candidates are thoroughly tested for aptitude, knowledge and skills in competitive exams and there is an elaborate process in place which needs serious preparation.
For now, the college-level education system does not train students for competitive exams as a result candidates who make independent efforts to seek these jobs fall way short. This is why we see central vacancies in Goa being mainly filled up by non-Goans.
The Goa government has failed to deliver on its job promise due to an inherent financial crisis, and hence it has to widen its horizon and look at tapping into central vacancies. The State has to make earnest efforts and restructure education to prepare candidates at the national level. The aim must be to meet contemporary needs and fulfil competencies. The way forward is to raise the level and compete or be left out.
