Solutions needed
One of the key tasks before the governments in Jammu and Kashmir is to ensure employment for its huge section of the population. From the past several years now we have been witnessing consistently higher unemployment rate in the UT as it has remained higher than the national average over the past several years now.
The overall unemployment rate in the UT stands at 6.7 per cent which is significantly higher than the national average of 3.5 per cent. The unemployment rate among persons aged 15 years and above has remained higher than the national average over the last six years.
In 2024–25, the unemployment rate in the UT stood at 6.7 per cent against the all-India average of 3.5 per cent. The rate was 6.1 per cent in 2023–24 compared to India’s 3.2 per cent, while in 2022–23 it was 4.4 per cent against the national figure of 3.2 per cent, he said.
In 2021–22, unemployment in J&K was estimated at 5.2 per cent as against 4.1 per cent nationally, 5.9 per cent in 2020–21 compared to 4.2 per cent for India. In 2019–20, the unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir stood at 6.7 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 4.8 per cent, the deputy chief minister said.
According to a baseline survey conducted during the month of January last year under Mission YUVA across Jammu and Kashmir, a total of 4.73 Lakhs individuals in the age group 18-50, out of total 64.8 lakhs individuals have reported not working but willing to work.
The surveyed youth included 70,428 postgraduates, 98,466 graduates, 1,26,059 higher secondary pass-outs, 95,914 secondary-level candidates and 44,908 middle pass candidates. The survey also covered 24,594 illiterate persons and 10,994 individuals who had studied up to the primary level, among others.
The high unemployment rate and joblessness is proving to be a deepening crisis that could have long-term social and economic repercussions. Jammu and Kashmir’s employment structure has not evolved with time. Thousands of educated youth enter the job market each year, but the absorption rate remains stagnant.
The Jammu and Kashmir Policy Institute (JKPI) which has also conducted a survey on unemployment has underlined that the mismatch between education and job availability is a key factor behind rising joblessness.
The UT is currently is experiencing an expanding educated youth population, but the economy isn’t generating enough opportunities. Though the government is working on multiple fronts to address the issue, but there seems to be little visible change on the ground.
The government is primarily focusing on entrepreneurship, skill development, and start-up promotion under Mission YUVA and the idea is to enable youth to become job creators rather than job seekers.
But despite such initiatives, experts say sustained private investment and stronger industrial growth are essential to reverse the trend. The Valley needs to move beyond seasonal employment and low-wage sectors. The UT needs to build a job ecosystem that can hold youth here rather than push them out.
Unless we see private investment and industrial diversification, the crisis will only intensify with time and can even prove to be a huge challenge to tackle within a few years.
As of now the schemes like Mission Youth, Mumkin, Tejaswini, PMEGP should aim to boost entrepreneurship and self‑employment, but these schemes will only help when capital access and mentorship is provided to the youth so that least failures are reported when in actual the units setup by the youth start working.
The job shortage and low success rate in entrepreneurship is emerging as a key emergency demanding coordinated action not only from the government, but private sector and community leaders as all have to get together and provide solutions.
