IIOJK produces up to 30,000 graduates yearly without employability data
Occupation regime’s failure to track jobs raises growing employment concerns
Srinagar: The absence of comprehensive data on the employment outcomes of graduates from government colleges in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir has highlighted a major gap in assessing the territory’s growing youth employment challenge.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the Higher Education Department has informed the Legislative Assembly that 145 government degree colleges across IIOJK produce around 25,000 to 30,000 graduates every year, but the administration has no consolidated, course-wise employability data for the academic sessions 2023-24, 2024-25 and 2025-26.
In a written reply to Unstarred D. No. 1/6/76, tabled by MLA Arjun Singh Raju, the department acknowledged that no formal comprehensive mechanism currently exists to systematically assess graduates’ employment outcomes, placement rates, average salary packages or sector-wise absorption.
The absence of such data leaves the authorities without a clear picture of how many graduates are finding jobs, how many remain unemployed or underemployed, and whether the courses offered by government institutions are preparing young people for available employment opportunities.
The department said graduate employability varies according to courses and institutions and is influenced by higher education, competitive examinations, skills acquisition and the availability of jobs in relevant sectors. It said efforts were being made through placement drives, career counselling and institutional-level tracking, while steps were also being taken to strengthen alumni and employment-outcome monitoring in line with the National Education Policy (NEP)-2020.
The issue assumes greater significance amid declining enrolment in several government degree colleges, particularly in rural and remote areas. The department said a committee had identified programmes witnessing more than 25 percent decline in enrolment during the past three academic sessions and recommended a comprehensive review of courses, vacant seats and student demand.
The developments highlight the widening gap between the number of young people entering higher education and the availability of reliable information on their transition into the job market. With tens of thousands of graduates emerging from government institutions every year, the lack of systematic employment tracking raises questions about the effectiveness of existing higher-education and employment planning in IIOJK.
