The capacity to generate employment is the real indicator of the health of any governance and economy. If an economy fails to create adequate jobs, it is certainly in an unhealthy state. And if a structure of governance is not able to create employment for the educated youth, it is bound to generate problems at deeper societal levels. And these problems in the deeper recesses of a society then appear in hundred different forms, creating a hydra headed monster. The problems can appear in the shape of crime, and suicide.
That is the reason why economists and political theorists lay so much emphasis on job creation. After all if people are not provided with avenues of earning a decent livelihood, we rob them off their humanity. In that sense unemployment is a threat to the humanity of a society.
Someone who has nothing to do, and has no earning to feed his family, is a mentally stressed person. He is not a burden just for himself and the family, but is also a potential problem for the society at large. In this context if we look at J&K, things are really worrying. The unemployment rate in J&K is higher than anywhere else in the country, as the statistics suggest. According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) figures, J&K’s unemployment rate is 22.2 percent, and this is even higher than the national level unemployment rate of 7.1 percent recorded across India.
Now what does that suggest. It means that our society is faced with a monstrous problem, and if not addressed soon, it can eat up the very vitals of our society. The oft repeated argument that government can not offer a job to everyone is not an answer to this problem. It, in this situation, might be looked at as escaping from the responsibility. It is true that everyone cannot be accommodated in government departments, but there are some questions that surface up. First, has the government filled up all the posts that are available at this time.
Two, how efficient is the government in advertising posts, conducting exams and doing selections. Three, are the new avenues of employment being created within government spaces. Four, are the resources being distributed justly in creating new jobs or is their undue emphasis on fattening the salaries of the already employed. Those who make decisions at the highest level need to take these concerns seriously if the scenario of unemployment has to be altered in favour of the people who are looking for jobs.