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L;/L 55,000 persons have registered as ‘unemployed’ till date in Nagaland

according to statistics reported by the Employment Exchange. Myth or reality, the
issue of employment has to be given importance, for it affects society the most and
not only the economy. (Sorei Mahong/Photo)

Dimapur | August 31 : “Unemployment in Nagaland is a 100% fact. Why? The right

people are not recruited for the right job at the right time. The top officials are busy
recruiting their own kin for any job vacancies. There is no fair appointment and thus,
many able, educated, smart youngsters are struggling to find a job” replied a youth, to the
question.
Unemployment, a global epidemic has taken deep roots in Nagaland. Concerns have been
raised time and time again, but the number of unemployed youths is fast increasing.
UTemsumongba Sanglir, chairman of Co-ordination Committee Dimapur, Educated
Unemployed Union Nagaland (CCEUDD) informed that according to statistics reported
by the Employment Exchange, till date there has been 55,000 registered ‘unemployed’
persons in Nagaland. “But the actual unemployment figures goes more that that” he said,
explaining that there are many persons that do not register themselves.
Some obviously do not agree. Recently, a bureaucrat had quoted that the much-touted
“unemployment” problem in Nagaland is a myth, further averring that there is no reason
why unemployment should be there, with countless potentials ever present. The fault
lies with the outlook of the people, he reminded.
“If we are still getting educated, just to get hold of a government job, then we seriously
need to rethink for there are only so many jobs that a public sector can encompass in any
economy” said an Economics student. He felt that Nagas need to venture into the
private sector.
Set up shops, wait on tables, conduct tuitions etc, he suggested, but added “however
entrepreneurship seems to be the last resort when everything else had failed and by which
the prime of youth is lost.”
“Remember unemployment is an economic situation when there is just no work to do
even when an individual has all the ability to work and willingness to work. Now is that
the scenario in Nagaland? Do we claim that we have all the ability and also the
willingness? We need to answer that first” the student opined.
Even with the level of education rising in Nagaland, many youngsters are jobless. The
main reason touted for this is due to the fact that there is zero major industry in Nagaland.

A surprising find-out also was that many youths are working in jobs they are not trained
for or in their favored field of specialization. A youth states “gone were the days when
everyone was after white collared jobs.”
Many youths also felt that it was not a question of unemployment itself but about being
underemployed. “Except for a few, many young Nagas are being underemployed. Like
the saying “beggars can’t be choosers” I cannot help it but accept the job I have
presently, hoping it’s just for a while” said a youth. “No matter what pretence we have of
Nagaland being developed, a youth with a graduate diploma in marketing and
management still has very less chance of securing a job related to that field” voiced
another.
Whatever the arguments, the predictions of global unemployment should serve as a
wakeup call, because an inability to find employment creates a sense of uselessness and
idleness among young people that can lead to increased crime, mental health problems,
violence, conflicts and drug-taking in the society. We talk about sustainable livelihood,
capacity building programmes, suitable job market, skill development and youth
empowerment programmes etc but without gainful employment and availability of jobs,
all these are ineffectual.