Maharashtra : 5.7 lakh vacancies, 26 Lakh applicants but only 1.25 lakh placements in 2015
The government placement agencies (employment exchanges) could place only 1.25 lakh candidates in 2015 as against 5.7 lakh notified vacancies for which there were more than 26 lakh aspirants, say government figures, compiled by the Directorate of Skill Development, Employment & Entrepreneurship. This suggests that only one out of the five available posts was filled through the exchanges even though there were five applicants competing for each.
One of the major poll planks of the BJP in Maharashtra was ’employment’ which helped the party woo youngsters. Now, as the Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP government is inching towards completion of two years in power, they have realized they are yet to bridge this huge gap in employment. A mere 21% placement despite the availability of jobs and candidates is appalling and evinces that the department has a lot of work at hand.
In 2014, when notified, vacancies were at an all time high of 8.4 lakh, including both public and private sector, wherein only 10% of the posts could be filled through government exchanges. The percentage of placement was much better in 2013 and 2012 reaching 96% and 50% respectively. Peculiarly, even the number of registered aspirants in the employment exchanges have also slumped from 6.3 lakh to 4.6 lakh between 2013 and 2015 although Maharashtra continues to register a steady growth in the number of youngsters qualifying HSC, polytechnic, ITI and other skill-based courses.
Lackadaisical approach of the government, gap in available skill set and jobs, rising aspirations of youngsters and lower pay packages are reportedly the major concerns resulting in the skewed placements. This is despite the fact that the government has restructured the erstwhile Employment Department into the more dynamic Directorate of Skill Development, Employment and Entrepreneurship with the Central Ministry.
With the government going big on “Make in India” and “Make in Maharashtra” schemes, the department claims to have focused more on skill training based on industry requirements. They have adopted e-governance measures bringing employers, skill trainers and aspirants on a single digital platform alongside organizing more job fairs.
“Enough jobs are available in the market! It is the massive skill gap that is leaving employers unable to find the eligible candidates,” remarked a top official of a private company. The minister of employment, Jaykumar Rawal, was however unavailable for comments.
Vijay Waghmare, Commissioner, Employment and Skill Development claimed, “Many a times, employers don’t get back to us after recruiting the candidates. That’s why actual figures on the number of people hired is often not reflected.”
Citing other reasons for the gap, Waghmare said, “We organize so many job fairs. But most candidates don’t meet the job criteria and hence aren’t hired. Moreover, aspirations are rising and hence many candidates refuse jobs offers due to low pay package or not getting the city of their choice.”
Note: News shared for public awareness with reference from the information provided at online news portals.
