Stunning job seeker boom overwhelms the employment system of the state.
As dreams of employment wane, a widening gap between hiring and vacancies fuels doubt.
More than 71.7 lakh jobless have enrolled with the Skill Development, Employment, and Entrepreneurship Centres, a sharp increase from 10.21 lakh enrollments in 2024. Such an increase shows an alarming lack of work opportunities, sharply standing in contrast to global trends of poverty decline and national rates of unemployment. The spurt in registrations presents a dismal picture of the state’s employment situation with millions of people finding it difficult to get jobs despite tireless efforts to fill the gap.
Among the registered unemployed, educational heterogeneity indicates the magnitude of the problem. More than 18 lakh of less than secondary education holders, comprising 4.38 lakh women, are waiting for jobs. Another 14.47 lakh have passed Class X, of whom 4.34 lakh are women, and 15.57 lakh Class XII pass candidates are also waiting in line. The statistics represent a wide range of the population, from poorly educated to highly trained professionals, all experiencing the same job drought. Interestingly, 3.04 lakh diploma holders in medical, engineering, DMLT, and pharmaceutical courses, including 1.62 lakh women, are also enrolled. Furthermore, 9.86 lakh graduates and 1.88 lakh postgraduates, with large numbers of women among them, are looking for employment, which proves that even higher qualifications do not guarantee a job.
The figures from the Skill Development, Employment, and Entrepreneurship Commissionerate indicate a continuing mismatch between job seekers, notified vacancies, and recruitments made. In 2024, when 10.11 lakh candidates registered and 10.93 lakh vacancies were announced, just 2.27 lakh jobs were filled, leaving 7.63 lakh applicants jobless. The same pattern was reflected in the previous year, 2023, when 6.64 lakh candidates registered against 8.81 lakh vacancies, but only 2.63 lakh jobs were filled, leaving 6.27 lakh jobless. This recurring deficit points towards systemic inefficiencies in converting vacancies into employment, accentuating the state’s unemployment issue.
The statistics also indicate a general issue of matching skills with market demand. As much as efforts such as the Mahaswayam Portal, which seeks to link employers with job seekers and offer skill training, the mismatch between hires and registrations remains. The government’s attempts at encouraging entrepreneurship and skill building remain insufficient, with the state experiencing job fairs and training initiatives falling behind the pace of demand. For example, a job fair in Baramati in 2024 only had 1,285 recruitments out of 22,048 candidates, even though 55,072 jobs were being offered. While Maharashtra struggles with this rising crisis, the increasing number of young unemployed, including highly qualified professionals, presents pressing concerns about the economic plans of the state and the efficacy of its employment opportunities.
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