the goan I network
PANAJI
Amid a not so hopeful job market, a ‘job fair’ facilitated by the Labour and Employment department of the State government at the Taleigao Community Centre, the home turf of Labour Minister Jennifer Monserrate, enthused hundreds of Goan youth who thronged the venue on Saturday.
But even as their hopes were high, Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, who inaugurated it dampened the spirits a bit when in his speech he painted a bleak future for hiring by his government. Sawant told the hundreds of youth who came with the hope of landing a job from the 60-odd companies who had set up shop at the job fair, that the job scenario in the government has saturated with between 55,000 and 60,000 already on the permanent employees roster.
“It is already saturated. A maximum of 5,000 to 6,000 at the most can be created henceforth by the government,” Sawant said.
“He said not all can be given a job by the government,” Sawant said, while pointing out that currently the staff strength of the government was between 55,000 and 60,000.
Additionally, over 10,000 more work for the State government on contact basis, daily wages and in part time jobs.
In his inaugural speech, Sawant urged the youth to take advantage of the 3000-odd jobs offered by the companies participating in the fair.
On the ground however, none of the officials involved in the organisation of the job fair were in a position to quote numbers when asked how many of the aspiring youth
actually landed a job or if indeed 3,000 jobs were assured by the participating companies.
Sawant said, many seek jobs in the government thinking that they can relax in the employ of the government and shirk work. He warned that government employees who are not punctual, irregular and not serious about their work will be “sent home.”
“We have already started issuing memos,” Sawant said, and also mooted plans to instill job security in the private sector by routing all jobs through the Goa Human Resource Corporation. Monserrate, who governs the labour ministry, also warned the private sector on its hire-and-fire policies.
