




Tough for women, tougher for men: The grim reality of India's youth jobs
For decades, the Indian youth dream followed a clear path: move out of farming, get a degree, and secure a stable job. The reality now is far different.More women did farm jobs in 2023-24 compared to six years ago, even though they have made great strides in securing non-agriculture jobs over the decades.
For men, particularly the young and educated, the job market does not have enough quality jobs or salary growth in the offing.These are the findings from the State of Working India 2026 report—a comprehensive study on India's labour market—by Azim Premji University. Mint explores in detail how India’s job market is tough for young women and tougher for young men.India’s long-running structural shift away from agriculture is undeniable.
This is led by India’s youth aged 20-29, both men and women, who have exited the farm jobs at a rapid pace.The only difference now is that while men have continued to exit agricultural jobs, women have re-entered the market between 2017-18 and 2023-24. Young women couldn’t escape the shift either, with the share of the young female workforce in agricultural jobs increasing to 49% in 2023-24 from 44% earlier.Agriculture often acts as a fallback sector when other job opportunities dry up.
Read on livemint.com