On Jobs, there’s nothing but the government in Jammu and Kashmir Premium

Highly educated youth in Jammu and Kashmir face high unemployment rates, relying on government jobs for livelihood.

Professionals and those with graduate and post-graduate degrees in Jammu and Kashmir are heavily dependent on government jobs as the Union Territory (UT) lacks an industrial base, resulting in a high level of joblessness among educated youth. In comparison, those who are less qualified mainly end up eking out a living from the government’s 100-day rural job guarantee scheme.

Reyaz Khan completed his Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Karnataka, in 2010 and is yet to find a job in Kashmir. “In the last 14 years, the government had only two recruitment drives for dental surgeons. I was eligible for the first one in March 2012 when only 18 posts were filled. I am not eligible for the recently advertised posts,” Mr. Khan said, because he is over the age limit to qualify for the job.

Also read | Scrapping unemployment dole sparks protests, unrest in Rajasthan

J&K produces 226 dental surgeons annually, according to official figures. An equal number of students pursue BDS outside the UT.

According to official figures, medical professionals, engineers, post graduates and those with doctorates find fewer jobs in Kashmir.

J&K Directorate of Employment’s (DoE) data from the the first quarter of CY 2024 alone shows that 3.52 lakh youth registered with the department. Of this, 1.09 lakh youth were graduates and post-graduates. This is 31%, or almost a third of total unemployed youth in the UT.

In the October-December quarter of 2023, as many as 99,322 graduates and post graduates had registered with the department, indicating a rise of 10,000 unemployed graduates and post graduates registered with the DoE.