India’s unemployment has hit an all-time low, with Haryana and prestigious IITs getting hit hard. The youth qualifying from well-known universities, with PhDs, and masters qualifications in difficult subjects are now taking sweeping jobs that pay just Rs. 15,000, and IITians are seeing a salary dip of 4 Lakh!
In Haryana, nearly 40,000 graduates and over 6,000 postgraduates have applied for sweeper positions through Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN), the state's contractual manpower provider.
What’s even more shocking? Over 1.17 lakh 12th-pass individuals are vying for these same jobs. In total, a staggering 3.95 lakh people are in line for the role of a sweeper, a job that involves sweeping and picking garbage in public spaces, roads, and buildings.
The struggle for jobs doesn’t stop there. When six peon positions opened at the Panipat Court, over 10,000 young people applied, many holding degrees like BA, MA, MPhil, PhD, BTech, and MTech. It’s a reflection of the growing desperation among Haryana's youth. Around 18 lakh people applied for 18,000 Group-D vacancies, and 25 lakh applied for just 6,000 clerk posts.
Even the prestigious IITs are feeling the pressure. At IIT Bombay, 25% of students didn’t secure jobs through campus placements this year. Out of nearly 2,000 students, only 75% got job offers, down from 82% last year and over 8,000 remain jobless. Despite more companies recruiting, some students received offers as low as ₹4 lakh per year. Experts warn that up to 50% of the 15 lakh engineering graduates this year could face unemployment, with the weak global economy being a major factor.
So, students pay hefty amounts, do intense studies, and face tough competition just to get into such well-known institutes, but the guarantee of youngsters getting well-paying jobs or any job at all is highly at stake.
Former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda criticized the current state of affairs, pointing out that under the Congress government, Haryana had led the country in providing employment. Now, he claims, the state ranks number one in unemployment. According to data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) and the National Statistical Office (NSO), the unemployment rate in Haryana has tripled since the BJP came to power, rising from 2.9% in 2013-14 to 9% today.
Hooda further highlighted that over 2,00,000 government posts remain vacant, and private investment has dried up since 2014. “Before, Haryana was the top state in per capita investment," he said. Now, young people are either leaving the state or heading abroad in search of work. He pointed out the shift from coaching centers for job preparation to the increasing number of immigration offices popping up across the state.
Overall, India’s unemployment crisis is a stark reminder of the challenges facing India’s youth. From graduates applying for sweeper positions to IITians struggling to secure decent job offers, the issue is widespread.
If the trend continues, the future of the state’s young workforce could be at serious risk.
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