Without necessarily getting into extensive research on unemployment situation in our state, we can reasonably infer that the lack of gainful employment amongst the young Naga job seekers has been and continues to be one of our biggest existential issues.
Even a cursory glance at our unemployment situation informs us that Nagaland, according to the Fifth Annual Employment – Unemployment Survey Report of 2015-2016 (survey discontinued since then) under the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, has a high unemployment rate (A measure of the prevalence of unemployment among a given labour force). With an unemployment rate of 8.5 per cent, the State’s position presents a grim picture relative to that of some of our neighbouring states like Manipur (5.7 %), Meghalaya (4.8 %) and Mizoram (3.0 %); going further, it pales sharply in comparison to states like Gujarat (0.9 %), Karnataka (1.5 %) and Chhattisgarh (1.9 %). In fact, the state’s unemployment rate exceeds that of the national average (5 %).
The above datais, however, only a small statistical illustration. It is not up-to-date. Nor does it, to put it plainly, reveal the full picture of unemployment situation. The small illustration, however, does serve to highlight the gravity of unemployment level in our state on a comparative scale. Our unemployment scenario can be reasonably gauged when we factor in, among other things, the near absence of a viable private sector that could play avital role in contributing towards creation of jobs or job opportunities and absorption of job seekers. Juxtaposed with this gloomy picture is the axiomatic and paradoxical situation of a bloated government sector, where the number of government employees is in growing excess of the state’s fiscal capacity. Put simply, the problem of unemployment is evidently pervasive and chronic, yet, on the other hand, we have a curious situation of an overstaffed/excessively employed government machinery, with zilch or barely enough room for additional absorption.
It is an acknowledged fact that for a variety of reasons and circumstantial imperatives, the government sector continues to be a most popular and sought after career choice for a vast majority of our job aspirants. And justifiably so because of the perceived instrumentality and associated benefits that government jobs generally afford. It will, therefore, be only fair to say that the government sector should continue to remain as an attractive gateway to those aspirants that are passionate about serving in it.
However, with a rising number of job aspirants and a virtually stagnant job growth in the government sector, we need to understand that it is impossible for the government – or for that matter, any government around the world – to absorb virtually all government job seekers. It is neither feasible nor desirable. An economy that is solely dependent on the limited government sector to run cannot be sustainable or productive. A strong and competitive private sector that, inter alia, contributes toward employment generation and economic growth is of fundamental importance.
Time is of the essence
But while the emergence and consolidation of the private sector as a complementary driver of employment and economic growth is something to be hoped for, we need also to understand that time is of the essence. The lack of any major industry that could have created jobs and absorbed a substantial share of the available pool of job seekers implies that the burden of the increasing number of job seekers in general is not being offloaded with contributory share of even partial job absorption from, say, the private sector. What this entails is that even as the lopsided concentration of job seekers towards the government side heightens the job competition, the average amount of time invested in pursuit of government jobs will only appear to prolong especially when correlated with the limited and minuscule absorption of government job seekers at a given point. In other words, the rigid fixation on government jobs to the point of exclusion of others, given the prevailing circumstances of limited job vacancies but crowded and growing number of job applicants, could risk becoming costly not only in terms of the time factor but – in the eventual failure to secure gainful employment– on a host of personal and the larger socio-economic aspects.
(To be concluded)