SHILLONG, June 6: Chief Minister Conrad K. Sangma on Tuesday said the state government will not be able to provide jobs for thousands of youths who join the workforce every year.
Speaking at a function to celebrate World Environment Day, he said about 60,000 youths are added to the workforce in Meghalaya annually.
“About 80,000 to one lakh babies are born every year and at least 80,000 join the workforce after every 18-20 years,” Sangma said for context.
Jobs are created primarily in the government and private sectors. “About 2,000-3,000 jobs – regular or ad hoc – are created in the government sector through vacancies,” he said.
Pointing out that a maximum of 300 posts are advertised through the Meghalaya Public Service Commission every year, he said the DSCs offer 100-200 vacancies at most.
“The number of vacancies in the Police Department will be about 1,000 in five years and this will mean about 200 posts every year. There is no way that the government can provide jobs to the 60,000 who join the workforce every year,” Sangma said.
The scenario means the remaining 57,000 would have to be absorbed in the private sector, the chief minister said. The government and society need to work together to create jobs for this workforce, he added.
“We need to realize that the creation of employment in various sectors is very crucial and the environment is going to play a very important role in that because the environment will be linked to sustainable tourism in the long run,” Sangma said.
According to him, the different activities happening today must be connected for creating the right ecosystem for jobs. “We want our young generation to be part of sustainable tourism. We need to have a sustainable agriculture programme. This is the kind of economy and vision we are working on,” he said.
