The mounting challenge of youth unemployment in India

Last month, India’s job crisis gained world attention when young applicants rioted against the alleged lack of transparency in the recruitment process of Indian Railways – one of the biggest employers in the country. Despite having a very large working-age population, and even during periods of marked economic growth, India has long suffered from intractable youth unemployment, which has been made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing on key labour statistics, Radhicka Kapoor draws out the structural nature of the problem, and suggests reforms needed to correct this anomaly if India is to reap its long-promised demographic dividend.