Viksit Bharat’s Battle: Addressing Job Security and Combating Youth Layoffs in India

Max Weber once linked the idea of “work is worship” to the rise of capitalism. He suggested that hard work led to salvation. Today, this perspective seems distant, especially for young people in India. The pressures and uncertainties of modern life have transformed their relationship with work, making it more challenging. This shift raises several questions about how well engineering schools prepare students for the job market, especially after recent layoffs at Infosys where more than 350 fresh graduates lost their jobs. Such events highlight a worrying trend as India aims for a developed future under the Viksit Bharat initiative.

India has a significant opportunity ahead with 26% of its population aged 10-24, representing one of the youngest nations globally. The 2023-24 Economic Survey pointed out that to take advantage of this youthful demographic, India needs to create over 7.85 million non-farm jobs each year until 2030. This job creation is crucial for the country’s journey to becoming a developed nation by its 100th independence anniversary.

While job creation is essential for economic growth, it’s not the only concern. We need to rethink how we prepare young people for employment. Employability should focus not only on entering the job market but also on staying there. To achieve this, universities must start by reforming their education systems. For many engineering disciplines such as mechanical, civil, and electrical, the curriculum has remained largely unchanged for decades, creating a mismatch between what students learn and what industries need.

To bridge this gap, we should update the engineering curriculum with the latest technology and include hands-on skill development programs in the final year of study. These changes can greatly enhance the employability of young Indians. By equipping students with the right skills, we can improve their chances of getting hired and being retained by employers after they receive additional training on the job.

This issue requires a collaborative approach; improvements in employability cannot happen in isolation. Universities should partner with skill development agencies to ensure that what students learn aligns with current industry standards. This collaboration must begin before graduation, rather than relying solely on post-educational training. In today’s world, being skilled is not just an advantage—it’s a necessity.

The writer is a research fellow at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.

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