Abstract:
Increase in the share of youth population due to demographic ‘dividend’ or the ‘youth bulge’ seems to
be one of the sources of future economic growth in India. Although with increase in school and college
enrolment rates, the proportion of youth in the labour force has been declining, their high proportions
in the labour force indicate that the problem of youth unemployment and underemployment would
remain a serious policy issue for many more years to come in India. In this context, this paper examines
the employment and unemployment situation of the youth in India during the last two-and-half decades
viz., 1983 to 2007-08. It analyses the trends in labour force and workforce participation rates,
unemployment, joblessness, working poor, growth and employment elasticities etc. The paper also offers
policy recommendations for increasing productive employment and reduction in unemployment for the
youth. The poor employability of the workforce would hamper the advantages due to demographic
dividend if measures are not taken to improve the educational attainment and skill development of the
youth.
