World Youth Skills Day is observed on July 15 every year since 2014, after United Nations General Assembly’s resolution. It signifies the strategic importance of equipping young people with skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship. The theme for 2022 is ‘Transforming youth skills for the future’.
India has a large section of youngsters bracing to be skilled, upskilled, and reskilled, especially women who have suffered disproportionately during Covid. Avtar has been at the forefront of reskilling and upskilling women to increase and improve their workforce participation through concerted efforts.
With the known skill deficit and the various efforts being made to tackle them at all levels through government initiatives and private participation, here is what we know about India’s youth and their skills.
- About 66% of India’s population is under 35 years of age, making it home to the largest youth population in the world.
- A few years ago, government reports said that only 2% of the workforce in India was skilled compared to 96% in South Korea and 74% in Germany.
- Industry estimates also said that only 25% of graduates were employable and that 80% of the job seekers in employment exchanges lacked the required skills.
- Upskilling and reskilling initiatives have the capacity to create 5.3 million jobs globally by 2030, making it important for India to focus on upskilling the youth.
- India is expected to have 350 million freelance workers by 2025, pointing to the importance of upskilling to optimize opportunities.
