EDUCATED UNEMPLOYMENT AT ITS PEAK IN KERALA

India is the worlds second most populous country and the most populous democracy
in the world .The Indian economy is the worlds 10 th largest by nominal GDP
largest

by purchasing power parity.

Following market based

and third

economies reforms in

1991,India become one of the fastest growing economies .However ,the country has been
facing the challenges of unemployment ,poverty, illiteracy, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate
public healthcare etc. Unemployment is a major

problem in many countries, especially

in

India. Unemployment occurs when a person who is actively searching for employment is
unable to find work.
Unemployment was seen as a phenomenon confined only to the developing countries
during the 1960s and 70s, but in the course of time it gained a global dimension unmanageable in
proportion even to the industrialised nations. In the developing countries unemployment has
become chronic. In India the problem has assumed alarming proportions, in spite of the sixty
years of planned development. The inability to create adequate employment opportunities to
absorb the growing population has not only resulted in an economic crisis in the country bur also
created multitudillous social problems.
The size of employment in any country depends considerably on the level of development.
When a country makes progress and production expands, the employment opportunities often
grow. In India, during the past three decades or so production has expanded in all sectors of the
economy. In response to these developments the absolute level of employment has also grown.
However, during the planning period unemployment in absolute terms has increased. The main
objective of our economic policies, right from the First Five Year Plan has been the provision of
gainful employment opportunities. Every plan ends up with a greater backlog of unemployed
people. That is, at the end of each five year plan period, this country has more unemployed than

at the beginning. This has happened because during the planning period trend rate of growth was
considerably lower than the targeted growth. Therefore, jobs were not created in adequate
number. The Youth, particularly the educated lot of rural India are the worst victims of
unemployment.
India's educated youths are facing some serious issues like educated unemployment and under
employment. Educated unemployment is due to a mismatch between the aspirations of graduates
and employment opportunities available to them. About 2 million graduates and half a million
post-graduates are unemployed in India. It is interesting to note that the level of unemployment
increases with the level of education. At the primary level, unemployment is 3.6%, which
increases to 5.2% at matriculation. It rises to 8% at graduation and further to 9.3% at the postgraduate level. The vast majority of the unemployed are from the Arts and Science streams. The
percentage of unemployment among Arts degree holders increases with the level of qualification
but declines in the case of Science degree holders. 39% of Arts graduates are unemployed, the
percentage rises to 49% among the professional degree holders of the Arts stream. There is more
unemployment among engineering post-graduates than among ordinary graduates and the reverse
is the case with Commerce graduates.
Of all the severe problems Kerala encounters the unemployment is the most critical. Though
Kerala has achieved much progress with regards to the spread of education, health services,
social welfare measures and infrastructural development, the state has not been able to solve the
problem of unemployment to any significant extent during the last 30 years.

Unemployment in Kerala has been higher and increasing among both men and women. Also the
problem of unemployment in Kerala is primarily the problem of educated unemployed among

both men and women. The educated unemployment is very serious and menacing problem. The
rate of unemployment in Kerala is very high, it may also be pointed out that urban rates of
unemployment are far higher than rural ones and unemployment among female labour force is
much above male labour force. The number of job seekers in the live registers of employment
exchange in Kerala is pushing at the 38 4lakhs. The total number of educated unemployment
youth on the live registers stood at 37.9 lakhs in 2004, a sharp increase of 1.56 lakhs over 1 year.
The number of educated unemployment in the state had shown a remarkable decline between
2002 & 2003 and then sharp increase during the year 2004. The

later periods also shows a

similar trend.
A peculiar feature of Keralas unemployment situation is that women out number of men
seeking employment through employment exchange. Especially the incidence of unemployment
among educated women is more in Kerala. Out of the total registered unemployment job seekers
of 38 lakhs in Kerala, women are 23 lakhs. The Kerala model of development host of high level
of social development entered among women and children. Though the levels of educated
women have increased over the years the induction of educated women into employment is
limited. The trends of low per capita income and initiating a high standard of living have led
educated to take on the dual role of home maker and supplemented of family income.
According to Labour Bureaus Third Annual Employment and Unemployment Survey 20122013 released on (November 29, 2013 . Among the major states in the rural areas, the
unemployment rate for the youth in the usual status was the highest in Kerala (25.9 per cent )
followed by Assam (16.2 per cent) and Uttarakhad (16.0 per cent) while in urban areas , the
rate was the highest in Jammu &Kashmir (21.6) followed by Kerala (21.0 per cent) and
Assam (19.3 per cent) The Employment Exchange Statistics and the results of various surveys

on unemployment in the state indicate that the problem of unemployment among the educated
has been assuming a grave dimension in recent years.

The causes of educated unemployment are defective educational system with its theoretical
bias, educational inflation, lack of aptitude and technical qualification to various types of works
among job seekers, the maladjustment between demand and supply of educated workers,
uncontrolled population growth and migration of foreign job seekers, recessions

and

inflation, lack of skill (Communication skill, Analytical skill and problem solving
etc.. )

, growth of new technologies, demand of highly skilled labour,

or salaries of the employees,

nepotism,

disability

to

unsatisfied incomes

do

the

job

etc..

It has been observed that one year of unemployment reduces the life expectancy by five years.
Hypertension, cardiac problems, psychoneurosis, depression, suicide are rising among youth as
also other behaviours including joining anti-social groups. Alcoholism, drug addiction, smoking,
and rash driving behaviours have increased. These behaviours are to take revenge against the
society which has made the youth develop low self-esteem due to unemployment or not being
able to be a productive member of the society.
In order to check the rapid growth of unemployment, a number of employment packages were
announced for existing unemployed. Steps have also been taken to create more jobs. The entire
employment packages are not specifically for educated unemployment. Generally unemployed
can get benefit through these employment packages. The state and central
brought many schemes to provide employment opportunities

government has

to the unemployed Some

of

the

measures

that

overcome unemployment

have been

implemented

by our

Indian

government

to

are ,

In 1978-79, government of India introduced IRDP to create full employment opportunities

in rural areas.
A National Scheme of Training of Rural Youth for Self Employment (TRYSEM) was
launched on 15th August, 1979 by the Government of India. The main objective of this
programme is to reduce unemployment among the youth.
Some of the similar schemes introduced by government

of India were Jawahar

Rozgar Yojana (JRY) Self-employment to Educated Unemployed Youth (SEEUY ), Nehru

Rozgar Yojana (NRY), Employment Guarantee Scheme, Prime Minister's Integrated Urban
Poverty Eradication Program (PMIUPEP), Jawahar Gram Samridhi Yojana(JGSY), The
Swaran Jayanti Rozgar Yojana(SJRY), Prime Ministers Rozgar Yojana for Educated
Unemployed Youth (PMRY), Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (or, MGNREGA) etc..
The above schemes were launched as a social security measures aimed at
providing employment security to unemployed ones. But none of them cannot fulfil
their

desired

goals. So Unemployment is still a baffling problem confronting the

nation . It retards economic development and creates a vicious circle of poverty and social
unrest. As this problem is more serious among the educated who are unable to utilise their
skills and knowledge, which they acquired at the expense of public exchequer, for
effecting qualitative changes in the economy and society. To deprive a person of the right
to work in conditions which are congenial to his self-fulfilment is disastrous not only to
the person who is frustrated but also to the social system. The state of Kerala which has
achieved notable records in social standards is widely acclaimed not only in the country

but also the world at large, has drastically failed to effectively utilise its skilled manpower
which is the most abundant resource in the state .
So the state and central government has

to take suitable

and appropriate

measures to curb the problem of educated unemployment.

REFERENCE

Dev Mahendra and M. Venkatanarayana, 2011, Youth employment

in India, Vol. 2 PP 142-145

Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India [ASSOCHAM] in 2003,
Vol.1,
NOSS in 2001-2011, Employment and unemployment report for analysing labour
market of Kerala. Vol. 1 PP212-216
India time use survey report, 2000 B.B Patel,992, Planning employment for educated

youth, Vol.3, PP 326-329

Azd. J.L Agarval AO prava, 1991, Graduate unemployment in India, Vol. 2 PP430-435
S.D Mauraya, Devi Gayathry, 1993 urban employment in India
Misra and Puri, 1995, Indian Economy, Vol1. PP 143-147
Apte M D, (1975), Education and Unemployment in Kerala, Economic and

Political Weekly, Vol.10, No, 28, page 1041.

Mathew, E.T. (1995). Educated Unemployment in Kerala--Some Socio- economic
Aspects", Economic and Political Weekly, February 11, pp. 325-35.
Siby K Joseph (1997) The Problem of Unemployment in Kerala :
Gandhian Alternative

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