Youth in Punjab look to greener pastures abroad to make a living

A poster of an immigration consulting agency in Rajpura town amid rising emigration in Punjab.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Uncertain over securing a suitable job, Ranjandeep Singh, a 22-year-old bachelor of arts graduate in Punjab’s Malout town in Muktsar district has been for the past six months rigorously preparing to clear his language testing exams as he aspires and foresees ‘a better life’ abroad. His concern — similar to many youngsters in Punjab — is the want of suitable employment opportunities, and in the prevailing scenario migrating abroad is Mr. Singh’s topmost preference.

“I am preparing for IELTS (English language proficiency test) exam and shall appear next month. Once I clear it, I intend to go to Canada to study and find a job. I have lost hope of finding a suitable job here. By suitable, I mean a job in which I can live a dignified life. I completed my BA last year (2023). Later, I got a job as a security guard at a local private company in Malout. I was getting a meagre salary for the work, making it difficult for me to assist my family. Also, the long working hours took a toll on my health, after working for two months I left the job. I also worked in the sales wing of a local pesticide company, but with the scanty wages, making ends meet was tough. Finally, I decided to go abroad. I am preparing to go to Canada,” said Mr. Singh, who belongs to a family that owns a 4-5 acre farm land at village Karamgarh.

‘Protest march’

Close to 150 kilometres away from Malout, on July 28, in Sangrur — the hometown of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann —  under the banner of ‘Punjab Berozgar Sanjha Morcha’ (Punjab Unemployed Joint Front), five outfits of youths, who have been for long seeking government jobs, were up in arms against the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the State for its alleged apathy towards their demands. They staged a ‘protest march’ near the Chief Minister’s local residence in Sangrur, even as the protesters were stopped by the Police as they attempted to cross the barricades. Shouting anti-government slogans, the protesters blamed the AAP government for not paying any heed to the plight of “unemployed youth”.

41-year-old Raman Kumar, B.Ed (Bachelor of Education), who cleared his Punjab State Teacher Eligibility Test in 2018 is annoyed as his wait for a “secure government job” is still a distant dream. 

Sukhwinder Singh Dhilwan, who has been leading the struggle of these youngsters asserts that even though there are several posts vacant in departments such as health and education, the State government was not recruiting. “We are asking the government to fill up vacant posts of the master cadre of teachers in all subjects and grant age relaxation. Also, the vacant posts of multi-purpose health workers should be advertised and filled. The examination for art and craft teacher recruitment should be conducted among other demands,” he said.

According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (January-March 2024) the unemployment rate in Punjab for the age group of 15 years and above (urban areas) stands at 6.8% among men and 10.9% among women. Punjab’s total unemployment rate is 7.7%, which is above the national unemployment rate of 6.7%.

Also read:On unemployment in Indian States

The matter of concern among a few economists, however, is the unemployment rate among the youth. As per the survey, the unemployment rate in Punjab in the age group of 15 and 29 years in urban areas is 17.4%, which includes 15% among men and 26% among women.

Pointing out that the quality of employment is quite bad in Punjab, noted economist Dr. Lakhwinder Singh, a visiting professor at the Institute for Human Development, New Delhi, says “80% of youth employed in Punjab is highly dissatisfied withtheir jobs. This is highest across Indian States. The generation of new but decent jobs will prevent them from going to greener pastures.”

“Given the structure and slow growth of the Punjab economy, the employment elasticity is low. Thus high unemployment is the natural outcome. To reduce unemployment, the Punjab government should invest to raise capital formation that will make the Punjab economy dynamic and generate higher GSDP growth and employment. Punjab is suffering from investment famine. Consequently, the digital revolution and the forth industrial revolution in technologies are bypassing Punjab. The State government should rise from this slumber and make investments in these areas that will attract young educated professionals to seek employment in these sectors. Private corporate investment can also be induced to invest in new activities where most of the youth aspire to work,” says Dr. Lakhwinder.

Rise in migration

The latest study by Ludhiana-based Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) has revealed that Punjab is witnessing a steady rise in migration. Punjab has witnessed a rise in emigration with approximately 13.34% of rural households having at least one member who has emigrated.

“Low income (72.81%), less employment opportunities (72.97%), and corruption (72.97%) were the main factors reported behind overseas migration as stated by migrants’ family,” points out the study. Meanwhile, the State government claims to have been working to improve the employment rate.