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With the election season in Haryana in full bloom, the clamour around jobs and unemployment is getting louder than ever.
The Congress, including former chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, recently attacked the ruling BJP government for making "Haryana number 1 in unemployment.”
To this, current Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini responded by saying that the BJP government provided more than 1.5 lakh jobs in the last ten years.
What Does the Data Say?
The youth unemployment rate in Haryana was recorded as 11.2% in the April to June quarter—it was 9.5% in the quarter before.
The situation was even worse for women.
The youth unemployment rate among women in Haryana was even more – at 17.2% in April-June 24 quarter and 13.9% in the Jan-March'24 quarter.
However, according to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), the unemployment rate in Haryana is a staggering 29.2% — 24.5% among men and 64.9% among women. The independent think tank states that joblessness in Haryana is more than three times the national average of 8.1 percent.
In terms of pure numbers, as of December last year, more than 4.7 lakh job seekers had registered themselves on the government’s website.
Of them, 3,778 or 0.8% of the total number of job seekers got jobs from April 2023 to December 2023.
Haryana was among the lowest as far as generating rural employment under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 is concerned.
In fact, when The Quint had spoken to MGNREGA workers in Haryana, this is what they had told us: ---
How Bad is the Job Situation in Haryana?
It was recently reported that 3.9 lakh individuals have applied for the job of a Safai Karamachari or a sanitation worker put out by the Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam (HKRN).
Of them, nearly 40,000 who applied for the job are graduates while over 6,100 are post-graduates. And more than 1,17,000 are 12th-pass, as per a report in Hindustan Times. The job reportedly pays more than 15,000 per month.
In addition, hundreds have risked their lives to go to war-torn countries such as Israel and Russia in search of work. Desperation has driven many to migrate, sometimes even illegally, if it takes them closer to a decently paying job.
In January this year, HKRN held a recruitment drive in Rohtak, looking for masons, carpenters, electricians to work in Israel. Recently, in August, it had advertised for the job of a caregiver in the war-torn nation. Meanwhile, in Russia, many were coerced into joining the Russian army and fight against Ukraine.
Despite calls to the Indian government, dozens still remain stranded in Russia while several have lost their lives, including 26-year-old Ravi from Haryana’s Kaithal district.
Yet, Posts Are Lying Vacant
In June, 1.86 lakh regular posts were reportedly lying vacant in the Haryana government. At the same time, 1.25 lakh contractual workers are manning crucial departments such as health and education.
Besides, nearly 58% of the regular assistant professor posts in Haryana’s government colleges were lying vacant, according to a report in The Indian Express.
In July, Haryana Police informed the Nayab Singh Saini government that at least 30% of the sanctioned posts—from constables to inspectors—have been lying vacant.
Can the Job Crisis Sway Polling in Haryana?
Job Crisis is a crucial issue in Haryana, especially now, as the state goes to polls now on 5th October. In fact, the Election Commission has halted the process of declaring the results of ongoing recruitment drives in Haryana, after Congress leader Jairam Ramesh flagged concerns.
On 31 August, a large group of youth, who claimed to have been waiting for government jobs, gathered in Rohtak to launch the ‘No Job, No Vote Campaign’. Meanwhile, Saini promised not to take his office until he ensures the joining of 24,000 candidates of various recruitment drives.
Jobs was a key issue during the recently-concluded Lok Sabha Polls too.
According to a post-poll survey, 27.2% of those surveyed said that BJP shouldn’t get another chance because of rising unemployment. One in three said that they were disenchanted with the rise in prices of commodities.