Express press service
Unemployment and underemployment are the two major problems on the employment front facing Karnataka. Both have the potential to create social chaos down the line, tending towards criminal and illegal activity, and the problem is likely to be much bigger than we realize.
Karnataka’s unemployment rate – the percentage of unemployed in an economy among people currently in the labor force – was pegged at 1.44% in December 2021, according to data from the Center for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE). Unfortunately, underemployment is not valued, although it can have equally negative effects on society.
According to updated data from Karnataka Department of Employment and Training (June 2020), the state with a total population of 6.61 crore had a total workforce of 24,11,920 people in the organized sector -10,30,380 (42.72 percent) in the public sector and 13,81,540 (57.28 percent) in the private sector. This is also the huge unorganized sector, which is not valued.
The fallout from unemployment/underemployment can be devastating for young people, especially as a pandemic manifests as a factor that has a cascading impact on the industry, leading to undesirable outcomes such as job losses. jobs, pay cuts leading to employee disillusionment, depression and anxiety.
Although the state is far from top of the unemployment rate rankings in India – which is dominated by Haryana – the worrying fact is that the state has witnessed 553 suicides due to unemployment, the highest in India, according to the latest updated National Crime Records. Bureau (NCRB) data for 2019. The state had reported 224, 375, and 464 cases in 2016, 2017, and 2018, respectively — a steady increase despite low unemployment.
While many young people who have become unemployed are content with underemployment (jobs that do not match skill or skill levels), there are those who seek to make a quick buck through crime and illegal activities – a major fallout of unemployment/underemployment.
Retired Principal of Dr. Ambedkar Degree College, Kalaburagi, and Writer Basavaraj Kumnoor, “Unemployed people engage in illegal and unhealthy activities to earn money which has increased crime in the region.” Kumnoor hails from the Kalyana Karnataka region which has an unemployment rate of 12%.
Unemployment is so severe in Kalyana Karnataka that an MA/BEd graduate, Erannagouda, who was a visiting lecturer earning Rs 12,000 per month in Kalaburagi, ended up tending sheep at Huli Gudda village of Devadurga taluk in the district of Raichur.
Rudranna Gulguli, an entrepreneur from Gadag, says, “An MA/BEd graduate who worked as a teacher in Bengaluru is still trying to get a teaching job. A BCom graduate, who has completed a certificate course in accounting, has no job. people from Gadag and surrounding areas who have degrees but no job opportunities.”
Interestingly, there are 30,000 vacancies in different government departments across the Kalyana Karnataka region which comprises seven districts of Bidar, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal, Kalaburagi, Ballari and Vijayanagara.
Explaining the employment situation in Dharwad, Sadan Kumar, who has completed his higher education as well as a diploma course in a foreign language and now runs a copy shop due to lack of job opportunities, says that he gave interviews at several companies and the majority of them rejected him citing him as fresher while a few others rejected him over salary issues.
Shrishailgouda Kamtar, a social activist based in Dharwad, says: “Unemployment is an unresolved problem in the region. After the first and second waves of COVID-19, the situation has worsened and 70% of graduates are not satisfied with the jobs they have. “
Dissatisfaction with the job held also remained a major reason for unemployment among young people, especially after the shift in job dynamics and finances brought about by the pandemic began to impact on the minds of young people.
Retired director Kumnoor says the solution is to streamline and make self-employment programs more efficient and attractive. “The only solution to this problem is to ensure that government programs reach the needy, and there should be control over the programs.”
He says that without it, young people easily fall into unemployment and lead capricious lives. “It increases poverty, decreases production and consumption. Beneficiaries of self-employment programs should be selected on the basis of merit and there should be no corruption, influence or intermediaries in the selection process. Incentives should be given to successful applicants,” he said.
Charan Kumar, a former textile entrepreneur from Davanagere, says, “We need to reinvent ways to start new business ventures in the garment industry. This helps create good jobs and provide jobs for the labor force at the doorstep. tax benefits for businesses that offer new job ideas. »
According to Arya Vysya Mandali, Kolar, Secretary General GS Karthick, compared to masters degree holders and graduates, skilled laborers easily find employment in Bangalore.
For example, if a welder joins a factory, he gives contact addresses to his batch mates who also get jobs in the same factory, outlets, and other units. This is not feasible for graduates as vacancies are very rare for them.
(With contributions from Pramodkumar Vaidya in Dharwad, Ramkrishna Badseshi in Kalaburagi, Raghottam Koppar in Gadag and V Velayudham in Kolar)
