Education and Skills

Only 5% of India’s youth aged 15–29 have received formal vocational training, according to PLFS 2025 data analysed by JustJobs Network. While training is associated with higher labour force participation and better access to regular, formal employment, high unemployment among formally trained and technically qualified youth raises questions about whether the economy is creating enough suitable jobs.

India’s skills gap is not just about training more young people; it is about making sure training responds to where jobs exist. Speaking with India Today, Sabina Dewan, Founder and Executive Director of JustJobs Network, argues that Industrial Training Institute (ITI) courses need to be shaped around the 𝗵𝘆𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆, using granular labour-demand data to connect training with local opportunities. She also points to the need to change how young people and families perceive skilled trades, particularly as 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝘂𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗹𝘂𝗲-𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 increasingly important in an economy shaped by AI.

India is investing heavily in skilling. But are employers investing enough in the people they say they cannot find? In her latest piece published in Outlook India, JJN researcher Isha Gupta argues that employers need to become active participants in shaping skills, designing apprenticeships and creating clearer pathways from training to stable employment.

India’s young population has big aspirations, but limited good jobs, skills gaps and informal employment threaten its demographic dividend. Sabina Dewan examines what Indian youth want—and what reality offers.

India has succeeded in getting more young people into classrooms, but getting them into quality jobs remains a challenge. Through an analysis of PLFS 2025 data, this data story examines the disconnect between education and employment and highlights the structural barriers preventing many young people, especially women, from making a successful transition into work.

Recent protests over a leaked examination paper have also brought renewed attention to India's employment challenge. In this piece, Shipra Nigam, Research Director at JustJobs Network, writing for The Hindu, argues that the intense competition for government jobs is not simply about a preference for public sector employment. It reflects a deeper issue: while educational attainment has expanded significantly, the economy has not generated enough secure, productive, and dignified jobs for young people.

Jobs are changing. Skills are becoming obsolete. And policies are falling behind. This was the stark consensus at a global webinar bringing together economists, labour experts, and development practitioners from across the Global South — all united by one urgent message: the time for incremental reforms is over.

Bangladesh needs urgent policy reforms to prepare its workforce for the technological and structural changes that will reshape jobs over the next decade, experts said at a global webinar organised by the Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

India's vocational training system has expanded rapidly, but weak ITIs continue to undermine skill development. This article examines the gaps in training quality, industry linkages and employment outcomes, and outlines the reforms needed to make ITIs a credible pathway to skilled jobs.

While more young rural women are entering the workforce through skilling programmes, staying in formal employment remains a challenge. Drawing on research by JustJobs Network and PRADAN, this article explores the social, familial, and workplace barriers that shape women’s employment journeys and argues that skills alone are not enough without sustained support, safe migration pathways, and better job quality.