To undermine the economic success of India under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the opposition has been working overtime, with their cronies in the media and the left economic circles, to create a narrative that this growth is essentially one where job creation is minimal. Nothing creates an anti government feeling than joblessness. And the discredited opposition know that.
I would not like to go by the Statistical Figures. The Government's measurement of many parameters is as archaic as ever. The guys in charge, and the opposition, think that only jobs created in the Government sector counts. This is not true. The EPF registrations have grown, showing either an increase in jobs created in the Private Sector, or alternatively more compliance on the part of Company owners, who were abusing the system pre-demonitization. And the number of entrepreneurs have grown by leaps and bounds, which is also another way of creating employment. Since EPF registration is not mandatory if the number of employees is less than 15 in an Organization, there is hardly any data available from the MSME Sector regarding job creation, and MSME sector, in any Country, is the biggest employment generator.
The ground reality is different. I undertook some random surveys with young Engineering Graduates who passed out during 2015, 2016 and 2017. Almost all the Graduates have found a job somewhere, not necessarily the jobs of their choice, but a job none the less. And they confirmed their classmates, those who are not pursuing higher studies apart, are all employed. It is interesting to note that Girls are more gainfully employed than Boys. It may have something to do with Girls willing to take up any job on offer, and Boys feeling some jobs are beneath their dignity.
This is not conclusive proof but an indicator neverthless.
One area of concern is the Private Sector abusing these young graduates by taking them as apprentices and paying them not even the minimum wages. I know of many Engineering Graduates earning less than Rs 10,000 per month, and employed for a period of exactly one year, after which they are again out searching for jobs.
While admittedly, this one year period ensures skill development, and gives them valuable experience, it can be improved. Companies have decided to tackle trade unionism by replacing workers with these Engineering/ Diploma Graduates, who being apprentices, have hardly any rights. This also affects non Engineering/ Diploma Graduates who would have otherwise landed up doing these Production Line jobs.
The Non Engineering/ Diploma holders are further affected due to the mechanization in our factories, which have almost but replaced manual labour with automation, and dependency on skilled labour.
A conscious effort has to be made to revive our Diploma Programs. The Junior Technical Schools and Polytechnics have been pushed to the background, as Engineering seats have become accessible to students with low marks. It is another matter that the quality of these Engineering Graduates are bad. The JTS and Polytechnics served a great purpose in developing the skill sets of many an youngster in the past. The success of migration of Keralites to Gulf in 1980s and 90s is mainly due to their higher level of skill sets obtained from JTS and Polytechnics.
The need of the hour is to upgrade the syllabus in both the JTS and Polytechnic, and definitely the Engieering Programs.
Youngsters and parents seek advise from me as to the prospects of higher studies on their completion of Graduation, Engineering or otherwise. I always tell the youngsters to go out and work for a couple of years before they pursue higher studies, as a couple of years of further irrelevant book oriented studies is not likely to serve any purpose. And those who took my advise seriously have come back and validated my theory by admitting how couple of years of working have changed them as a person, improved their skill sets and made them better persons.
Government can make it a point to convert the last year of the Graduation/ Polytechnic Program to one of compulsory apprenticeship. The Companies can be encouraged to take in these graduates by giving them a tax incentive provided 'X%' of Graduates are taken in every year. Government should also ensure at least minimum wages are paid to these apprentices. This will also ensure the student understanding the dignity of labour and not living in ivory towers expecting an AC cabin, a car and a secretary in their first job.
This way, the development of hard and soft skills of the students are ensured, giving them more self confidence, and ensuring the Organizations have a ready workforce to be tapped into, who are skilled and has Work Sense.
