Parliament Question: Changing Landscape of Employment

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2355 TO BE ANSWERED ON 04TH AUGUST, 2025 CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF EMPLOYMENT 2355. PROF. SOUGATA RAY: Will the Minister of LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT be pleased to state: (a) whether the Government is aware that lakhs of students/graduates from universities/ colleges/ industrial training institutes are facing challenges not only in accommodating them, but also effectively integrating them into meaningful employment; (b) if so, the details thereof and the steps taken by the Government to ensure proper placement to such students; (c) whether the Government has any proposal for a structural reform for a stronger collaboration between industries and academic institutes, if necessary by law to ensure proper placements of outgoing students; (d) if so, the details thereof; (e) whether the Government has any proposal to make it mandatory that each higher education institution must ideally have at least one formal partnership with industry partners according to their syllabus, if so, the details thereof; and (f) whether the Government will ensure that educational institutions accountable for placements and create accreditations system aligned with job placements and if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE FOR LABOUR AND EMPLOYMENT (SUSHRI SHOBHA KARANDLAJE) (a) to (f): The official data source on Employment and Unemployment is Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) which is conducted by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) since 2017-18.As per the data available in latest Annual PLFS Reports, the estimated Worker Population Ratio (WPR), indicating employment on usual status for youth of age 15-29 years (including students/ graduates from universities/ colleges/ industrial training institutes) has increased from 31.4% in 2017-18 to 41.7% in 2023-24. Further, the estimated Unemployment Rate (UR) for youth (15-29 years) decreased from 17.8% in 2017-18 to 10.2% in 2023-24. Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, is running the National Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a one-stop solution for providing career related services including information on jobs from private and government sectors, information on online & offline job fairs, job search & matching, career counselling, vocational guidance, information on skill development courses, skill/training programmes etc. through a digital platform [www.ncs.gov.in]. One of the objectives of the NCS scheme is setting up of Model Career Centres (MCCs). The Ministry had approved 407 Model Career Centres (MCCs) across the country. These centres connect local youth and other job-seekers with job opportunities through the use of technology as well as career counselling and training. As such these Model Career Centres (MCCs) act as a hub for organising job fairs, mobilising the employers, providing career counselling at local level etc. in collaboration with States and other institutions for the jobseekers and employers through outreach activities. As on 14.07.2025, more than 6.43 crore (which inter-alia include Government, Private and Public Sector Undertaking) vacancies have been mobilised on NCS Portal. In addition, the Union Cabinet has approved Employment Linked Incentive (ELI) Scheme named as the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana to support employment generation, enhance employability and social security across all sectors, with special focus on the manufacturing sector.Under the Government of India’s Skill India Mission (SIM), the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) delivers skill, re-skill and up-skill training through an extensive network of skill development centres under various schemes, viz. Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS), National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) and Craftsman Training Scheme (CTS) through Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), to all the sections of the society across the country. The SIM aims at enabling youth of India to get future ready and equipped with industry relevant skills. Amongst the schemes of Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE), placements were tracked under the Short- Term Training component of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) in the first three versions (PMKVY1.0, PMKVY 2.0 and PMKVY 3.0) implemented from 2015-16 to 2021-22. During the first three phases of the scheme (i.e. PMKVY 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0), 24.37 lakh candidates were reported placed. Under PMKVY 4.0, the focus is on empowering the trained candidates to choose their varied career path and they are suitably oriented for the same. Further, various IT tools like Skill India Digital Hub (SIDH) also gives this opportunity. As on 30.06.2025, under PMKVY more than 1.64 crore candidates have been trained and 1.29 crore candidates have got certified across the country. The Government has brought in National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 which aims to integrate vocational education programmes into mainstream education in all educational institutions in a phased manner. Beginning with vocational exposure at early ages in middle and secondary school, quality vocational education will be integrated smoothly into higher education. To enhance the employability of students, most of the higher educational institutes are revamping their curricula in alignment with industry requirements. They have also introduced, a range of initiatives to enhance students’ preparedness, foster industry collaboration and boost placement success by hosting events like academia / industry conclaves, business summits and motivational talks by CEOs. They also leverage their extensive alumni network to strengthen connections with world class companies. Internships are also actively encouraged to equip students with industry experience and increase opportunities for pre-placement offers. *****