At 16.2% Jammu and Kashmir has second-worst unemployment rate in the country

At 16.2% Jammu and Kashmir has the second-worst unemployment rate among states/union territories in the country as educated youth struggle with neglect and lack of job-creation policy.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) figures, India’s unemployment rate is 6.7% which means J&K has a much higher unemployment rate than the national average. Rajasthan has reported a 19.7% unemployment rate which is the highest. The unemployment rates are produced by CMIE using its Consumer Pyramids Household Survey machinery.

According to the periodic labour force survey of urban areas for July-September 2019, Jammu and Kashmir was among six states that saw rising joblessness. The other states are Gujarat, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

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Besides, other data sources also indicate the severity of unemployment in J&K in the last 12 months. For example, the employment registration carried out by the Directorate of Employment last year witnessed three lakh registrations by post graduates and PHD degree holders.

According to the 2011 census, the total population of the insurgency-hit Himalayan region is 1.25 crore. More than 70% of the population in J&K is below 35 years of age and chronic unemployment and under-employment have spawned the problem.

The Kashmir Chamber of Commerce and Industries also in its preliminary report suggested that five lakh job losses were recorded in Kashmir region only post abrogation of Article 370 last August which was followed by lockdown to combat Covid-19 pandemic in March.

Many unemployed youths believe that mis-governance, poor administration and corruption have been the biggest problems in J&K. “Earlier the jobs in the government sector were distributed by ministers, bureaucrats and top officials among their kith and kin. After abrogation of Article 370, no jobs are being advertised and our future seems to be bleak,” said Suhail Ahmad, a post-graduate in Science.

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After the abrogation of Article 370, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his address to the nation had said the move would usher in a new dawn in the region and his government was committed to fill up all vacant job posts.

In the months that followed, the government reiterated that it would create new jobs and fill up thousands of vacant posts on a fast-track basis. But more than 14 months on, these job promises have fallen flat and J&K’s unemployment graph is soaring.

A few months back, J&K Service Selection Board advertisement for 8000 class IV jobs saw a whopping 5.4 lakh aspirants applying.

Dr Asima Hassan, who has done research on youth in Kashmir, says one of the causes behind the rising drug addiction in Kashmir is unemployment. “Due to unemployment, marriages are not held at a proper time. It also causes depression and pushes youths towards drug addiction. When there are no jobs, it impacts society negatively,” she said.