The data on employment, or their lack, are there for all to see (Editorial page, “The employment test”, February 22). Regular employment opportunities appear to be a thing of the past, with employment on a contractual basis and daily wages becoming common. The now infamous promise of the government, of the creation of two crore jobs every year, was an important reason why it came to power in 2014. Lakhs of jobs have been lost, mostly in the informal sector, and because of demonetisation.
Thousands ofyouth from faraway parts of the north and Northeast are now working in the south as there are fewer opportunities in their States. In the public sector, the pronounced tilt towards privatisation is cutting off opportunities for educated youth.
G.B. Sivanandam,
Coimbatore
The employed category in several sectors, both government and private, is over-burdened, evident in the banking and information technology sectors.
Mental health issues are also on the rise. It is time the government enacted suitable statutes to regulate the workload and targets. It may be possible to find more job opportunities for the unemployed if available jobs are evenly distributed. As welfare is not money alone, this is an area for focus.
P.G. Mathew,
Kochi
Going by the growth trajectory in the past few decades, it is illusory to expect any government to “vacate the stage” if it has failed to generate employment. There has been little difference in the economic policies of the Congress and the BJP, which have remained pro-big business. The alleged fudging of official data may indicate that we have not lagged behind in graduating to a post-truth society.
Manohar Alembath,
Kannur, Kerala
It is amusing that the writer has tried to link it to the Narendra Modi government. One wonders what the writer’s line would be in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, or 4IR, where technology use is growing exponentially. A major aspect of the 4IR will be to change the way we work, as there will be the increased automation. Experts claim that automation will sound like a recipe for a worldwide disaster, as it will put people out of jobs, have labour unions, or what is left of them, striking and cause political upheaval. Is India prepared for this?
R. Subramaniam,
Bengaluru