Parliament Question: Employment to Graduates

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].

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