SHAKEELA ANDRABI
SRINAGAR: The unemployment rate jumped all-time high in Jammu and Kashmir as the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), a private economic think-tank in India, in its latest monthly report for month of August 2022 has estimated unemployment rate for J&K at 32.8 per cent, the highest since 2016 as per CMIE data. In 2016, it was recorded at its worst- 29.9 per cent.
According to CMIE figures, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana are facing most job crises, which is the worst among states/Union Territories in India. The unemployment rates are produced by CMIE using its Consumer Pyramids Household Survey machinery. CMIE has pegged National unemployment rate at 8.28 percent while survey also shows that urban and rural unemployment rates have also increased on national level with urban areas facing 9.5 per cent while rural areas with unemployment rate of 7.5 per cent.
According to the CMIE data, the unemployment rate in J&K has jumped from over 15 percent in August compared to July month. As per data, J&K is second in the table after Haryana who is on the top with 37.3 per cent while Rajasthan is on third place with 31.4 per cent of unemployment rate. Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Rajasthan are the only states/UT with over 30 per cent unemployment rate. Other states, which have highest unemployment are Bihar, Jharkhand and Tripura, where unemployment rate is just between 13 to 18 per cent. Besides these figures, there are other data sources which indicate severity of unemployment in J&K. For example, the employment registration carried out by Directorate of Employment in 2020 witnessed three lakh registrations by post-graduates and PhD degree holders. Even J&K Service Selection Board held recruitment examinations, but some of them got cancelled due to allegedly negligence and irregularities. Youth of Valley are quite worried over present scenario and told STATE TIMES correspondent, “Now we have lost all hopes as many of our friends are near the maximum age-limit to get a job. Every job selection process is going on in haphazard manner and even administration has admitted irregularities in processes.”
