Economic slowdown hits job mela in Mysuru

Only a few top companies came forward to offer job opportunities, due to the economic slowdown. The crises had an impact on the regional-level job mela, organised on the Scouts and Guides Grounds in the city on Wednesday.

Except for a few top players, a majority of the recruiters who attended the Udyoga mela are training providers and consultants. Nearly, 150 companies from across the state had opened the stalls to fill 20,000 vacancies. Thousands of candidates, between 18 and 35 years of age, from Mysuru region, attended the mela, jointly organised by the Department of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship and Livelihood, Mysuru, Mandya and Kodagu district administrations.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer K Jyothi said, "We had invited top and reputed companies. But, only a few of them turned up. However, a large number of job aspirants attended the mela. A majority of the companies are consultancies and training providers. Most of the companies are hiring candidates through consultancies, who also impart training. The companies are not ready to waste money and time on training employees."

Jyothi claimed that the state government and the departments concerned are making all efforts to ensure more jobs for youths. “We provide a platform to bridge the gap between the employers and employees. The mela will be organised in a more effective manner in future,” she said.

The CEO asked the companies to create healthy working atmosphere and urged the newly recruited youth not to change jobs often, as experience and loyalty counts.

Less openings for PG

An officer said, "While there were 10,000 openings for diploma and ITI students, only 300 posts were open for post-graduates. This is due to the demand in the service sector than in the manufacturing sector.

District Skill Development Officer N S Shivanna said, "As per the India Skill Report-2020, 50% of the graduates lack communication and soft skills. But, a majority of the students are good in terms of subject, as per the report."

At present, only 10% freshers and 40% of employees with one or two years of experience, are being hired by companies. According to him, no company is ready to invest on freshers on training recruits.