‘Decent Work for Youth in India’

The Ministry of Labour and Employment and ILO Join Hands for Youth Employment

New Delhi (ILO News) - To raise awareness on the issue of youth employment, the International Labour Organization (ILO), collaborated with the Ministry of Labour and Employment (MOLE), Government of India, to host a day long event on 20 April 2012 in New Delhi. Chaired by Mr Mallikarjun Kharge, Minister of Labour & Employment, the event centred on the challenge of creating decent work for youth in the country and sharing good practices.

In his speech, Mr. Kharge stressed that the meeting “underlines the Government’s commitment and priority attached to the issue and its potential for advancing the objective of inclusive economic growth and development”. In order to take advantage of a demographic dividend, he further stated that the Government is equipping the nation’s youth with suitable and relevant skills to meet the requirements of industry. In this respect, he informed the meeting that the Ministry of Labour and Employment is working towards a target of training 100 million individuals and has already tripled the training capacity since 2006-07.

Ms. Tine Staermose, Director, ILO Country Office for India, stressed that “youth around the world are particularly vulnerable to marginalization in the labour market because they lack skills, work experience, job search abilities and the financial resources to find employment.” For this reason, she reiterated that youth employment is a priority issue for all countries and the ILO, particularly in light of the impact of the global financial crisis.

Mr. Y.K. Modi, Employers Representative, ILO Governing Body, underscored the critical role of entrepreneurship, while pointing out that incentives are needed to encourage employers to hire young people. While noting the skills challenge, Mr. N.M. Adyanthaya, Workers Representative, ILO Governing Body, stressed the importance of participation of workers in policy processes. He also indicated the need to revise the apprenticeship scheme to avoid abuses.

Ms. Sucheta De, President of the Jawarharlal Nehru University Student’s Union, called on the government to review policies in order to tackle the challenges facing youth, including the dominance of low paid and precarious work and the lack of jobs with dignity.

The meeting brought together over 160 stakeholders working on youth employment issues, including representatives of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sport, Ministry of Rural Development, Planning Commission, Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, workers’ and employers’ organizations, academia, student leaders, UN and bilateral agencies, civil society organizations, and the media. The Asmita theatre group provided additional insights into the employment concerns of young people in the country.

India has the largest youth population in the world; around 66 per cent of the total population is below the age of 35 or over 808 million. Nearly 40 per cent of the Indian population is aged 13 to 35 years (youth definition as per the National Youth Policy). According to 2010 population figures, one in five young people in the world is an Indian.

The consultation in New Delhi is among 45 national events organized by the ILO around the world throughout March and April 2012 to hear young people’s views on the alarming youth employment situation.