Unemployment, Paper Leaks & Skills
45% of graduates are unemployable. Over 41 major competitive exam paper leak scams reported since 2019.
Main Problems
High Graduate Unemployability: 45%–50% of college graduates are deemed unemployable by industry standards due to curriculum obsolescence
Pervasive Exam Paper Leaks: Over 41 major recruitment & entrance exam leaks (NEET-UG, UP Police, BPSC) impacting 1.4 Crore+ aspirants across 16 states
Severe Youth Unemployment Crisis: Youth unemployment (ages 15–29) stands at over 15.0%, with urban female youth unemployment reaching 27.2%
Informal Sector Dominance: 89%–93% of India's workforce is trapped in low-paying informal jobs lacking social security, pensions, or medical cover
Jobless Economic Growth: Organized manufacturing GVA grew at 8.66% while employment growth stagnated at a low 0.53%
Apprenticeship Deficit: Less than 0.1% of Indian enterprises offer formal apprenticeship training compared to 20% in Germany
Technical Skill Mismatch: 75% of technical engineering graduates and 85% of general graduates lack ready skills for AI, IT, and green tech
Low Female Workforce Participation: Overall female Labor Force Participation Rate (LFPR) remains constrained at ~32%, bottlenecking economic output
Current Status
Latest Update
CAG report reveals allocated funds for Unemployment, Paper Leaks & Skills remain under-utilized. Ministry requests implementation extension.
June 2026