India's chronic unemployment has ushered in a generation of "nowhere people" | Hot News

As the magnitude of India's job issue has become increasingly apparent in recent weeks, media and popular focus have shifted again to the topic of India's "unemployed youth."

Hundreds of millions of unemployed young people, many of whom are well educated, cast doubt on India's development and optimistic estimates of Asia reaping the benefits of a "demographic dividend."

Since the mid-2000s, the problem of unemployment has gotten much worse.

As public worry about unemployment grows, the media attention will unavoidably shift between raucous protests and politicians' stump speeches.

But, if we shift our focus and set aside perceptions about unemployed youth as a social threat, we could wonder: What do young people in India do daily? What do they do for a living? What kind of relationships do they have with their neighbors?

How are they going to transform India?

The magnitude of social distress is staggering. Young people who are unemployed face a slew of setbacks. They lack money, are unable to meet familial expectations, typically lack respect, and have difficulty managing their marriages.

Men's identity as breadwinners is often harmed by their lack of a "pukki Naukri" (permanent job). Furthermore, they frequently feel resentful of the time they spent on education and job hunts.

Citizenship and work are intertwined. Many young people dreamed of serving their country in their teens and early twenties by acquiring government employment, which has become incredibly tough to come by.

It's no surprise that many unemployed young people, particularly guys, have become cynical and distant, referring to themselves as "doing nothing" or only passing the time. It appears that the generation of nowhere has spread throughout the world.

However, self-stereotypes of the unemployed and underemployed "doing nothing" - or being "nowhere" - should be regarded with a grain of salt.

Daily, young people are frequently involved in various types of entrepreneurship. They find a "fallback" job, which isn't always of high quality or utilizes all of their skills but is sufficient to give them hope that better opportunities will arise in the future.

The level of community work conducted by unemployed and underemployed young people is likewise noteworthy. This segment of the population has been India's civil society's backbone.

At the most basic level, these young people frequently serve as social change interpreters, volunteers, and aid to others in their villages or town neighborhoods. They assist people in obtaining government services. They spread new ideas on technology, microcredit, religious practice, environmental protection, and development, for example.

These young people protest occasionally, but the majority of the time, their mobilization is focused on services and infrastructure rather than politics. They desire a better math teacher or a school extension.

Many unemployed young people have informed us that even if they are unable to help themselves, they may be able to assist future generations.

Teenagers and pre-teens are grappling with novel educational and career options that their parents find difficult to comprehend. Unemployed or underemployed 18-35-year-olds who have recently struggled to find work have emerged as the crucial "beech ki pidhi" generation (intermediary generation).

It is not glorifying young people or unemployment to depict this scenario. However, it is necessary to recognize a source of energy in the Indian population: unemployed young people in their late teens, twenties, or early thirties who live in ordinary places around the country. They are significant to India's and the world's long-term success.

It also entails posing questions to policymakers.

What can external organizations do to help this group of young people? Perhaps the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in India could be broadened to include formal chances for young people to engage in the type of community work that they are leading. Perhaps attempts could be made to identify ways to provide skills accreditation to active jobless or underemployed young people.

One thing is certain: young people are clamoring for such possibilities.