The number of unemployed people in Himachal Pradesh was still considerably high at 8.73 lakh, despite a decrease in comparison to the previous fiscal year, according to the data from employment exchange.
The number of such people registered in all employment exchanges in the state in December 2022 stood at 8.21 lakh compared to 8.73 lakh in December 2021.
As many as 1.41 lakh persons registered themselves in employment exchanges till December 2022 during the current financial year compared to 1.68 lakh the previous year.
Kangra district with 1,66,325 registered unemployed persons topped the list, followed by Mandi 1,61,085, Shimla 71,316, Una 64,384,Chamba 62,436 and Hamirpur 61,989, while tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur were at the bottom with 5,226 and 8,300 unemployed youths.
Out of 4,75,156 employed persons, 2,79,365 persons were employed in the government sector in 4,417 establishments, while 1,95,791 people were employed in the private sector in 1,824 establishments as on March 31, 2021, as per the Economic Survey.
As the job avenues in the public sector are shrinking and the private sector keen only on hiring skilled and highly skilled workers, the government has started several skill development programmes, introducing emerging trades in technical institutions and updating vocational courses to enhance the employability of workers.
The Himachal Pradesh Kaushal Vikas Nigam (HPKVN) has launched several programmes in this direction, enrolling 57,781 people so far under its various skilled development programmes. Out of them, 31,770 have been certified.
The HP Skill Development Programme was started in 2018 with an outlay of Rs 827 crore, out of which, Rs 661 crore contributed by Asian Development Bank.
The government is also giving an allowance of Rs 1,000 per month for skill development courses to each aspirant, and Rs 1,500 to people with more than 50 per cent permanent disability.
Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu who presented the budget for 2023-24 on Friday told media that the government had set a target to generate 90,000 jobs in the public and private sector this year.
