PATIALA: The number of educated unemployed in Punjab was recorded at 3,12,200, according to the annual report of the Director, Employment Department, Punjab, for the year ending March 1988.
They included 2,37,000 matriculates and those who have passed higher secondary examination 64,200 graduates and 10,400 post-graduates.
About two lakh persons registered with the employment exchanges are not even matriculates.
Almost all matriculates, those who have passed higher secondary and many graduates are ready to accept class IV jobs.
The number of educated unemployed persons in the State has risen during the past several years. A total of six Lakh persons were registered as job seekers in March, 1988. As against this, the total number of jobs against this, the total number of jobs available in the State was only 5,47,600. These included 2,79,000 jobs under the State Government 1,63,000 under semi-Government organizations, 71,500under the Central Government and 33,000 under local bodies.
This meant that against every 100 employed persons in the State, there were 110 unemployed. About 2,06,000 jobs were available in the private sector with 1,82,100 in big enterprises and 24,800 in small set-ups.
This does not cover self-employed, part-time employees, those in nongovernment institutions, in agriculture and in units employing less than 10 persons. An increase of only 20,000 jobs took place in 1987-88 both in public and private sector in Punjab. This increase of 10% was the highest in Ludhiana followed by Ropar with an increase of 6.7%. About 10,000 vacancies were filled through the employment exchanges during the year. A total of 1,10,000 educated unemployed persons were provided with unemployment allowance. These included 88,300 matriculates and those who had passed the higher secondary examination, 18,900 graduates and 3,200 post-graduates.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 12, 1990
