The revelation that over 3.61 lakh educated unemployed youth are registered with employment exchanges across Jammu and Kashmir is deeply unsettling. The number of unemployed, underemployed, and those who have stopped registering is far higher. The problem is not new, but what makes it alarming is its deepening nature and the Government’s apparent inability to implement a comprehensive, time-bound strategy to counter it. The data points to a distressing reality: Kashmir Division accounts for over 2.08 lakh unemployed youth, while Jammu Division has 1.52 lakh. The gender divide, too, is visible, with over 1.27 lakh educated women still awaiting meaningful employment.
The most distressing factor, however, is the stagnation in Government recruitment. The cancellation of multiple recruitment exams due to paper leaks and procedural irregularities has severely eroded trust in the system. This cycle of hope and heartbreak has severely impacted thousands of aspirants who have been preparing for years. Many meritorious candidates have now crossed the upper age limit for Government jobs-a tragedy of bureaucratic inefficiency that can’t be overstated.
Traditionally, the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the Education Department have been the largest recruiters. But the police have not conducted any major recruitment drives in recent years. At the same time, the Education Department-especially higher education-has resorted to ad hoc and contractual appointments, often bypassing proper selection mechanisms. The High Court has now objected to such temporary arrangements, further complicating the situation. Meanwhile, thousands of sanctioned posts across engineering, healthcare, and administrative departments remain vacant for years, with no systematic vacancy audit or referral to selection boards.
Ironically, even as industrial activity has picked up in parts of Jammu Division, the benefits have largely bypassed the local population. Employers often prefer workers from outside the Union Territory, citing the lack of requisite technical skills among local youth. This glaring mismatch between education and employability lies at the heart of the problem. J&K’s education system continues to churn out graduates poorly aligned with market needs. The gap between what industries demand and what institutions supply has never been wider.
The Government’s response-promoting self-employment through Mission Youth, Mission YUVA, Startup initiatives, and skill development schemes-is commendable in spirit but weak in implementation. Payments to many skill development centres remain pending, and post-training employment levels are abysmally low. The focus has been more on quantity of training than on quality or placement outcomes. Without ensuring that training aligns with real market demand, such programmes risk becoming statistical exercises rather than employment solutions. Some sectors highlight the depth of neglect: qualified dental surgeons remain unemployed for over a decade, and thousands of engineers and postgraduates wander from one recruitment notification to another, with no certainty of opportunity. Clearly, piecemeal policies or ad hoc interventions cannot solve what is now a structural crisis.
What is urgently needed is a scientific, data-driven employment strategy. The Government must immediately conduct a comprehensive vacancy audit across all departments-many of which haven’t updated their manpower needs for nearly two decades. All identified vacancies should be promptly referred to recruitment agencies, and a mechanism must be established to ensure the timely filling of posts. Simultaneously, the education system needs a complete reorientation. Courses must be tailored to match emerging market requirements. Separate strategies should be designed for different categories of unemployed youth-undergraduates, postgraduates, and those with technical or vocational training. For rural J&K, the Government should extend financial and technical support for farm-based and agro-industrial ventures, allowing educated youth to create livelihoods within their communities.
The challenge before the administration is monumental, but so are the stakes. Unemployment in J&K is not just an economic concern-it is rapidly evolving into a social and psychological crisis. Disillusioned youth, with degrees but no direction, are losing faith in institutions. Unless addressed urgently and holistically, this unemployment bubble may soon erupt into a full-blown socio-economic emergency.
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