The unemployment crisis in Jammu and Kashmir has reached a point where it can no longer be seen as a temporary challenge. It has become a deeply rooted structural problem, reflecting the combined effects of policy inertia, administrative shortcomings, and a widening gap between education and employability. According to official data, more than 3.61 lakh educated unemployed youth are registered with employment exchanges across the Union Territory. However, the actual number is far higher when one includes those who are underemployed or who have stopped registering altogether due to frustration and loss of faith in the system.
The situation cuts across all social and regional lines. Both Jammu and Kashmir divisions are facing equal distress, and the gender disparity is striking, with over 1.27 lakh educated women still seeking meaningful employment. For decades, education was seen as a ladder of upward mobility in the region, but today, that belief is collapsing under the weight of limited opportunities and administrative stagnation. Young people, brimming with potential, are struggling to find direction, leading to growing disillusionment. One of the most troubling aspects of the crisis is the prolonged stagnation in government recruitment. Departments that once offered steady employment opportunities, such as Police, Education, Health, and Engineering, have either frozen hiring or resorted to contractual and ad hoc arrangements, which undermine transparency and job security. Thousands of sanctioned posts remain vacant, and many candidates have aged out while waiting for fair recruitment. This delay has turned what should have been moments of hope into years of despair. Beyond bureaucratic lapses lies an even deeper issue: the mismatch between what educational institutions teach and what industries require. Graduates often possess degrees that hold little relevance in the modern job market. While new industries are emerging, employers frequently prefer workers from outside Jammu and Kashmir, citing the lack of technical or vocational skills among local youth. This skill gap is perhaps the most urgent problem the region must address if it is to unlock sustainable growth. Government schemes such as Mission Youth, Mission YUVA, and Start-up India are well-intentioned steps toward promoting self-employment and entrepreneurship, yet their implementation remains inconsistent. Many skill development centers face delayed payments and lack proper monitoring systems to ensure post-training employment. Without strong linkages between training and actual job placement, such initiatives risk becoming statistical exercises rather than meaningful solutions. The absence of collaboration between government, industry, and academia further weakens the ecosystem that could otherwise support innovation and employment generation. The private sector, while growing slowly, remains too small to absorb the rising number of job seekers. Industrial investments in Jammu and Kashmir must not only boost capital inflows but also ensure local employment generation. Incentives for industries that train and hire local youth can help bridge this gap. Equally, rural areas need targeted attention through agribusiness, horticulture, and allied sectors, enabling educated youth to find livelihoods closer to home and reducing migration pressures. Solving unemployment in Jammu and Kashmir requires a holistic, data-driven, and time-bound strategy. The government must immediately conduct a comprehensive manpower audit across all departments to identify vacancies and ensure timely recruitment. Introducing a digital employment dashboard that integrates education data, skill inventories, and job analytics could guide both policymakers and young job seekers toward realistic and informed decisions. Educational reforms must prioritize vocational learning, entrepreneurship, and digital literacy from an early stage, ensuring that students are equipped for a changing economic landscape.
Rising unemployment is not merely an economic concern, it is a social and psychological threat that could erode public trust and stability. Jammu and Kashmir’s youth represent its greatest resource, and their frustration, if left unaddressed, could become a crisis of confidence in the region’s future. What is needed today is not rhetoric but reform, an honest, transparent, and participatory employment policy that restores faith, matches skills with opportunity, and lays the foundation for lasting stability and prosperity across the Union Territory. The Government of Jammu and Kashmir must prioritize transparent recruitment, align education with market needs, and strengthen skill development. By fostering industry collaboration and supporting entrepreneurship, it can transform unemployment into opportunity and build a stable, self-reliant, and progressive economy for the youth.