Picture this: Nearly 25,000 applicants queue up for 147 government job vacancies. A sense of desperation to grab a well-secured government job is written all over their faces, even though not all who applied are jobless. There are many who are employed privately, but that doesn’t stop them from taking a shot at a job which carries government benefits.
The irony is while there is a mad rush for government jobs there are only a few takers for private openings. It is a known fact that government jobs come with incomparable benefits such as security, salaries governed by Pay Commission guidelines, loan facilities, family benefits and even post-retirement benefits. At the minimum of scales, even a government peon is bound to earn at least Rs 20,000 per month, a figure which sounds improbable even in higher private jobs. We live in an era where an engineer or a post-graduate is applying for a post of peon and a LDC. Joblessness and job security continue to remain the biggest worries for Goan youth even at a time when the government is riding high on its development plank.
There is around Rs 700 per annum going towards social security of senior citizens and going by indications the government is ready to bear an annual cash loss of Rs 500 resulting out of an increase in GST exemption limit. The interim budget announced last month has failed to address the crucial issue of how the government is going to raise its money. Against this backdrop absorbing the additional burden caused on account of the new recruitments will be another worry.
While the unemployment scenario continues to remain grim, Labour Minister Rohan Khaunte continues to take pride in the fact that he has initiated online registration for unemployed citizens. An initiative which is more intended to keep a count of unemployed than easing off the problem. Creating of jobs through the Investment Promotion Board clearances haven’t helped either as the ground realities of the private sector by and large have remain unchanged. There is no minimum wage prescribed and there is a huge disparity when compared to government scales and perks.
Moreover, if there is a huge migration of Goans to European countries through the Portuguese passport route, it is because the government has failed to create a stable employment structure. As long as people can’t sustain a decent living through their jobs, they are bound to keep looking beyond the state for avenues. This is where the identity of Goa is going to take a hit. And it is nothing but hypocrisy if the people of the State are to be blamed.
It’s high time government takes a serious review of the employment sector and bring about reforms to make private jobs as lucrative and enticing as the government ones. Or else queues will only get longer “ both for government job vacancies and at the Portuguese consulate.
