The Great Indian Job Circus In the high-altitude hustle of Ziro Point, Sikkim, there's a shanty that serves everything from Maggi and Pakodas to Tea, Brandy, and Whiskey. The couple running this mountain eatery have an adventurous lineage, with ancestors who trekked from Tibet long before borders existed. Now, they lug supplies daily to keep their shanty stocked and, come winter, knit wool sweaters that their cousin sells in Delhi. Their annual earnings? A cool half a million rupees. Meanwhile, in the urban jungle of Mumbai, a man from Begusarai starts his day at 4 AM, washing 50 cars before the city wakes up. For this early morning splash-and-dash, he earns Rs. 30,000 a month. By day, he's a valet, pocketing another Rs. 60K. Not bad for a guy who starts his day before the sun. Then there’s our Uber driver from Mahbubnagar, cruising the city and earning 50-60K a month. Who knew driving could be this rewarding? Contrast this with our highly educated, degree-toting population. Around 40% of grads from top engineering and MBA schools are still job-hunting. A Bachelor of Science or Commerce, or most engineers, often earn less than our car-washing friend. The capex cycle has been on life support for a decade, and growth is stuck in capital-intensive sectors. Remember those old-school salespeople knocking on doors with vacuum cleaners and water purifiers? They’ve been replaced by delivery boys, thanks to online sales. The jobs aren’t in restaurants anymore; they’re zipping around on bikes delivering food. Tech jobs are like that moody friend who’s only nice when they need something. If you know AI, you're in; if not, you're out. Even globally, Tech and MBA grads are having a tough time. We’ve been sold the dream that education is the golden ticket out of poverty. Families sell land and take loans, only to find that even with an MTech or PhD, they’re still struggling to make ends meet. Our education system churns out degrees without imparting skills, leaving graduates expecting cushy desk jobs that don’t exist. Ironically, blue-collar workers are living the high life. Plumbers, carpenters, beauticians, yoga and gym instructors, and nurses are raking in more dough than many degree holders. Here’s the kicker: We don’t have an unemployment problem; we have an unemployability crisis. Workforce productivity in India is among the lowest globally. A single European café server outperforms three in India. For 7 lakh government jobs, a staggering 22 crore people applied! Private organized jobs employ only about 8% of our workforce, leaving the rest in low-wage MSMEs. The solution? We need to focus on skills over degrees. With a labor surplus but a skill shortage, massive education reform is urgently needed. Let’s steer our people towards skills that matter and jobs that pay. PS. I am in a lookout for a job as well. Aseem Dhru Thank you for this sir.
Great perspective!
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1moWell said!