What is means? Unemployment may be defined as the involuntary joblessness on the part of able people who are searching and willing to work.
Unemployment means the state of being without any opportunity of earning one’s livelihood. It refers to a condition when the workforce is not able to secure a paying job.
It arises in the cases of young men who are physically fit and mentally competent. At the end of their education or training, they do not find any job to earn a living.
Introductory explanation: During the early days, there was not much of unemployment. Most people lived in villages and they were engaged in agriculture to earn their livelihood. But with the advancement of civilization machines with modern technologies have been introduced and this industrial civilization has brought about a change in the sphere of employment.
India is burdened with so many problems and unemployment problem is one of the serious problems. The number of unemployed youths in our country has already reached an alarming stage and still the number is increasing every year. A large number of youths, though willing to work, find no scope for employment. The economic well being of our country depends on the solution of this problem.
Causes
- Population explosion, and the lack of vocational and technical education, are the leading cause of the problem.
- People from rural areas have developed a tendency to migrate to the cities for office jobs. They find little interest in self-employment schemes.
- Due to the lack of practical knowledge, thousands of graduates, post graduates, qualified engineers remain idle after completing their jobs.
- Many people are physically weak and unfit for hard manual labor.
- Many people shy at this hard job of factory labor.
- Some people have a weakness for white-collared job. They prefer the security of a clerkship on small salary. They are against joining business that requires them to put some capital at risk. The uncertainties of business frighten them.
- There are various social prejudices against certain profession. The son of a rich man will think that his prestige will be lowered if he sets up a shop in a street corner.
- Though India has good progress in the sphere of industrialization, it has not equally distributed across diverse geographical locations of India. Under-industrialized regions cannot absorb many people.
- There are few technical schools for vocational education. Therefore, the young men without specialized training cannot get jobs that require technical skill.
- Some of the young men are turning to be anti-social out of their formation.
Effects
In India, this formidable problem will go to an alarming stage unless some positive measures are immediately adopted. The vast mass of unemployed people is a source of great danger to society and the state.
- In despair, these young men may run wild and take the law into their own hand. They may engage in many undesirable activities. Criminal activities are on the rise.
- The standard of living of people remains low because of unemployment. The sharp increase in the poverty rate and low standard of public health are also the ill effects of the problem.
- Unemployment aggravates social unrest and economic imbalance of the country.
- Unemployment is the leading cause for depression among youth.
- Poor people, who are unemployed, finds it difficult to manage the rising cost of basic necessities.
Solutions or Remedies
The problem of unemployment cries for immediate solution. However, it is not easy to solve it by the hand of magic. If sincere attempts are made the problem may be solved.
- Population explosion is one of the most important factor for the present unemployment problem. People should be made aware of the benefits of population control.
- The Government should open more training centers for vocational education. Young men with special training from these centers can easily fit in any industrial undertaking.
- The Government should try for rapid industrialization in under-industrialized regions of the country and create more opportunities for employment.
- The village and cottage industry should be developed. If the villages become sufficient in their economy the villagers would not run to the cities in search of jobs.
- Our young men should build up new industries, form co-operative societies and go in for agriculture.
- Rural people should be taught better methods of agriculture. The cultivators can earn more by increasing the quantity and quality of crops. This can be done by implementing better irrigation methods, high quality seeds, etc.
- Loan facilities should be extended among the unemployed youths so that they may set up small industries.
Conclusion
We should keep in mind that self-help is the best help. We must admit the bitter fact that no government can provide employment to all the unemployed youths. Mere government measures cannot solve such an enormous problem. Still, the government should adopt measures to create opportunities for self-employment.