Is the Demography really a Dividend with no Employment?
Azim Premji University’s State of Working India 2026 — a fourdecade study of how young Indians move from school to work — confirms what India’s youth already feels. India has 367 million people between 15 and 29, the most educated generation we have ever raised. More of them finish college than any generation before. But the path to a good life is steeper than ever. Each year, about five million graduates step out ready to work, and only 2.8 million find it. Unemployment runs near 40% for ages 15–25, and just 7% of young men land a permanent salaried job. The gap between education and employment keeps widening — institutes have grown to nearly 70,000 since liberalisation, yet quality stays uneven. Which brings us back to the question that won’t go away: what good is a demographic dividend when there are no jobs to hand it? News Source: SWI 2026, Azim Premji University
News Source: SWI 2026, Azim Premji University