The pandemic has huge consequences. Unemployment is one of the biggest. But if it is the one that keeps the spotlight, we will miss the others that stay in the dark.
The focus on jobs is obviously vital. However, higher economic growth alone will not solve the jobs problem. Jobs can be created when growth comes from the transition of labour from informal sectors like agriculture, horticulture, and service sectors. Such extensive growth, however, runs the risk of stagnation.
One thing has now been conclusively established that the government has failed in its efforts to create new jobs, but the bigger problem is that there is not much hope on the horizon either.
Everyone knows, the last two decades have been tough for Kashmiri young men and women. Joblessness peaked and with increasing population the number of educated men and women who are idling away their days has increased many fold.
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Thousands of youth whose jobs depend entirely on the availability of internet are now jobless. Many companies have already withheld salaries.
The horrors of the pandemic has multiplied, our economic health along with our physical health. The primary objective should be helping the unemployed.
All this is adding to the already bulging numbers of unemployed youth in valley. Many have already begun fleeing the valley for entry level jobs in various Indian corporate cities. There are Kashmir based professionals with years of experience who are ready to work at entry level in dead end profiles to help their families make two ends meet.
To put it straight, don’t expect a recovery in job growth in the short term. The government knows it but that does not mean they can fix it. The malaise runs too deep now, and the clock is ticking.
