**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer provided by the Minister of State in the Ministry of Education in response to the Unstarred Question No-1260 in Lok Sabha on December 8, 2025. The question was about the employment status of graduates. The answer provides data on the number of graduates, government tracking of employment, employability findings, and proposed national framework to track graduate employment.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Graduate Statistics:**
* The total number of graduates (including engineering and management graduates) increased from 95.41 lakh in 2020-21 to 1.09 crore in 2022-23.
* Graduate numbers: 95,41,036 (2020-21), 1,07,38,573 (2021-22), 1,09,45,571 (2022-23 Provisional).
* **Government Tracking of Employment:**
* The National Statistics Office (NSO) conducts the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) since 2017.
* The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) from PLFS 2023-24 is estimated at 57.5% for graduates and 62.2% for post-graduates and above.
* **Employability Findings and Initiatives:**
* India's National Employability rate stands at 54.81% as per the India Skills Report 2025.
* Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY).
* National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 emphasizes integrating practical skills with general education.
* UGC issued guidelines for internship and apprenticeship embedded degree programs to improve employability.
* AICTE initiatives include model curriculum, MoUs with industries, internship guidelines, Industry Academia Mobility framework, Career Portal, and PROFICIENCE Scheme.
* **Ministry of Education Initiatives:**
* The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with IIT Madras, launched the SWAYAM Plus platform.
* The Ministry of Education implements the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS). More than 170 MoUs have been signed with Higher Education Institutions, to embed apprenticeship training within curricula as on 5th November 2025
* For the financial year 2024-25, over 5.23 lakh apprentices were engaged under NATS. A recent third-party evaluation of the NATS stated that 74% of trainees engaged in employment after the apprenticeship.
* **Other Government Initiatives:**
* The Ministry of Labour and Employment operates the National Career Service (NCS) Portal.
**Impact Analysis**
* **Graduates:**
**Impact:** Graduates are affected by initiatives aimed at improving their employability through skills training, internships, and apprenticeships. They are also impacted by the tracking of employment statistics and the availability of resources like the NCS Portal.
**Action Required:** Graduates should utilize resources like SWAYAM Plus, Skill India Digital Hub, AICTE Career Portal, and NCS Portal to enhance skills, explore job opportunities, and seek career guidance.
* **Higher Education Institutions:**
**Impact:** Higher Education Institutions are impacted by the guidelines and frameworks introduced by UGC and AICTE. They are also expected to incorporate apprenticeship training into their curricula and collaborate with industries.
**Action Required:** HEIs should implement internship programs, embed apprenticeship training within curricula, and collaborate with industries to provide students with relevant skills and opportunities.
* **Industries:**
**Impact:** Industries are expected to collaborate with educational institutions to provide internships, apprenticeships, and skill development programs.
**Action Required:** Industries should partner with educational institutions to offer practical training and employment opportunities to graduates, contributing to the improvement of the national employability rate.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Education: The primary ministry responsible for policies and programs related to higher education, graduate employability, and skill development mentioned in the document.
National Education Policy (NEP) 2020: A policy framework emphasizing the integration of practical skills with general education to improve employability.
All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE): A survey used to collect data on the number of students graduating from higher education institutions in India.
Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY): A flagship scheme of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship for imparting skill development training.
National Apprenticeship Training Scheme (NATS): A scheme implemented by the Ministry of Education to provide on-the-job training and enhance employability.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
DEPARTMENT OF HIGHER EDUCATION
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO-1260
ANSWERED ON-08/12/2025
Employment to Graduates
1260. Shri Sribharat Mathukumilli:
Will the Minister of EDUCATION be pleased to state:
(a) the total number of students graduating annually from higher education institutions during the
last three years including engineering and management graduates as per the All India Survey on
Higher Education (AISHE);
(b) whether the Government tracks or proposes to track the employment status of such graduates
within one year of graduation in domains related to their field of study and if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government has examined the employability findings reported in studies such as
the India Skills Report 2025 and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether the Government proposes to establish a national framework in coordination with the
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship to track graduate employment and improve
alignment between higher education and labour market outcomes and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION
(DR. SUKANTA MAJUMDAR)
(a): As per All India Survey on Higher Education (AISHE), total number of graduates including
engineering and management graduates have increased to 1.09 crore in 2022-23 from 95.41 lakh
in 2020-21. The graduates’ data from the year 2020-21 to 2022-23 is as under:
Total number of graduates including engineering and management graduates during 2020-21
to 2022-23 (provisional)
2020-21 95,41,036
2021-22 1,07,38,573
2022-23(Provisional) 1,09,45,571
(b): The National Statistics Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation has been conducting the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) since 2017 to
generate estimates of the key employment and unemployment indicators (viz. Worker Population
Ratio, Labour Force Participation Rate, Unemployment Rate). From the Annual Results of PLFS
2023-24, the estimates of Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for graduates is 57.5% and for post
graduates and above is 62.2% in India.
(c) & (d): As per the India Skills Report 2025, India’s National Employability rate stands at
54.81%. This report analyses the employability of Indian graduates based on the results of theWheebox Global Employability Test (GET) taken by 6.5 lakh candidates across 28 states and
8 UTs in 12 sectors.
Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) is implementing its flagship
scheme Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY), since 2015, for imparting skill
development training through Short-Term Training (STT) and up-skilling and re-skilling through
Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) to youth including graduates across the country with aim to
enhance the employability of the youth to access employment opportunities by equipping them
with industry relevant skills. Currently, PMKVY 4.0 is under implementation since FY 22-23 till
FY 2025-26. Under PMKVY 4.0, there is provision of Post certification tracking of candidates
for a period of one year under the scheme. Through Skill India Digital Hub, candidates can have
access to jobs and apprenticeship opportunities.
The Government of India has framed National Education Policy (NEP), 2020, which
emphasises integrating practical skills with general education. In alignment with this vision, UGC
has issued ‘Guidelines for Internship/Research Internship for Under Graduate Students’, with an
aim to improve their employability and understanding of the world of work. Further, UGC has
formulated ‘Guidelines for Higher Educational Institutions to Offer Apprenticeship Embedded
Degree Programme (AEDP)’ to enhance the employability of students.
To achieve the objectives of NEP 2020 and ensure availability of industry relevant
knowledge to students of technical students, the All-India Council for Technical Education
(AICTE) has taken several steps including:
Model Curriculum in areas such as Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Space
Technology, Electronic Engineering (VLSI Design and Technology), Robotics and
Artificial Intelligence etc. Due representation of Industry stakeholders is ensured in
the curriculum revision committees.
Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with leading industries and organizations
have been signed to facilitate internship, skilling and upskilling of students and
faculty members.
Issued model internship guidelines for technical courses. Internship is mandatory
component of Model Curriculum issued by AICTE for different courses. These
guidelines provide internship in full-time or part-time.
Industry Academia Mobility framework launched by AICTE to facilitate connect
between theoretical knowledge and practical application, facilitating collaboration
between academia and industry.
The AICTE Career Portal offers opportunities for university graduates to explore
job opportunities at prominent companies. The portal is aimed to help students with
jobs, internships, resume building and interview preparation, the portal is specially
designed for students living in remote areas with poor internet connectivity.
AICTE has proposed the PROFICIENCE SCHEME aiming to facilitate the
upgradation of knowledge and skills for individuals across various sectors,
including working professionals, homemakers, students, and anyone keen on
enhancing their competenciesFurther, The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with IIT Madras, has launched the
SWAYAM Plus platform. The platform offers skill related courses in collaboration with industry
partners, helping learners reskill, upskill, and become employment ready. As of 5th December
2025, Swayam Plus has signed more than 75 MoUs with the leading industry partners, more than
480 courses in 17 different sectors are available on the platform, and more than 4.65 lakh learners
have enrolled for their skill augmentation.
The Ministry of Education implements the National Apprenticeship Training Scheme
(NATS) to impart on-the-job training and enhance the employability of students of AEDP,
graduates and diploma holders. Under NATS, more than 170 MoUs have been signed with Higher
Education Institutions, to embed apprenticeship training within curricula as on 5th November
2025. For the financial year 2024-25, over 5.23 lakh apprentices were engaged under NATS.
Currently, apprentices are undergoing apprenticeship training in various sectors such as IT/ITeS,
Automobile and Auto components and BFSI, among others. A recent third-party evaluation of the
NATS stated that 74% of trainees engaged in employment after the apprenticeship.
The Ministry of Labour and Employment, Government of India, operates the National
Career Service (NCS) Portal which is a one-stop solution for providing career related services
including 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].
*****