The myth of unemployment

It’s strange how young Indians disrupt Parliament saying they can’t find jobs, when there are vacancies everywhere

There are more jobs than ever before. I have no statistics to back this claim, but it is a strong and unshaken belief because that is what the government has been telling me for a while. The government has no reason to lie about unemployment, or anything else. Also, I have a job, which is why I am inclined to believe that everyone else has one too. This is why the security breach that occurred at Parliament a month ago is still on my mind. For those who may have forgotten about the incident by now, two men entered the MPs’ chamber, shouting slogans and setting off smoke, while two others shouted slogans and sprayed coloured gas outside the House.

The four accused (all in their 20s and 30s) reportedly told police that they were upset about issues like unemployment, the troubles faced by Indian farmers and violence in Manipur. Apparently, they used smoke canisters to draw attention to these issues so lawmakers would be compelled to discuss them.

I have no doubt that our competent police force in Delhi will find out whether these motives are real or not. I must say, for what it is worth, that I am not convinced by their reasons at all because none of the issues raised by the four make much sense. As I pointed out in my opening remarks for this column, I do not believe India has a problem with unemployment at all. In fact, I would go so far as to say that we have more jobs than we know what to do with.

There are some people who choose to disagree, and back their argument with numbers, but I am not one of those cynics. I will admit though, that according to data from an independent private firm called Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy Ltd., India’s unemployment rate climbed to its highest in more than two years this October, as joblessness in rural areas increased. Apparently, the overall rate rose to 10.05 per cent from 7.09 per cent in September, while rural unemployment jumped to 10.82 per cent from 6.2 per cent. At the same time, a government survey showed that the unemployment rate among graduates in the age group of 15 years and above had declined to 13.4 per cent in 2022-23 from 14.9 per cent a year ago.

Now, everyone knows that government surveys are the most unbiased surveys ever, which is why I choose to dismiss other reports as hearsay when it comes to employment statistics. It’s the word of someone I don’t know versus our honourable government agencies, and I choose to accept the truth.

Then there is that complaint about farmers, which makes no sense either. Yes, there was some noise for a few months about farmers struggling to survive, and yes, there may be a CNN report from 2022 saying that nearly 30 people in the farming sector die by suicide daily in India. However, official government data from 2020 said that a mere 10,000 people in the agricultural sector ended their own lives that year, so how it is a problem? Since when are 10,000 deaths a sign that something isn’t right? We can all afford as many onions and tomatoes as we want, which obviously means things are going well. As for those who believe they can’t afford some vegetables, why can’t they follow the example of some finance ministers who simply don’t consume items like onions or garlic?

As for violence in Manipur, when was the last time any of us heard a word about Manipur in our newspapers or on television? There have been rumours of Internet shutdowns and rioting, but if these were true, wouldn’t our ministers be out there every day trying to calm things down? The fact that they have time to attend cricket matches should be enough to convince us all that Manipur is fine and the people there are probably out partying or something.

Finally, I would like to say that young Indians aren’t inspired by their leaders as much as they should. Some of the most highly placed ministers in our country come from the humblest of backgrounds. Some sold tea at railway stations, battled crocodiles on weekends, created courses of their own in Entire Political Science and then graduated with degrees in these unusual subjects, all while managing to spend months in the wilderness and weeks fighting for India at our borders. These aren’t normal men; they are supermen, and young Indians would do well to learn from them.

When he isn’t ranting about all things Mumbai, Lindsay Pereira can be almost sweet. He tweets @lindsaypereira

Send your feedback to mailbag@mid-day.com

The views expressed in this column are the individual’s and don’t represent those of the paper

"Exciting news! Mid-day is now on WhatsApp Channels Subscribe today by clicking the link and stay updated with the latest news!" Click here!