Joblessness is highest in Thiruvananthapuram district

Thiruvananthapuram: The capital district, which holds the largest chunk of government jobs, has the most number of job seekers in general and professional or technical categories.

The total number of work seekers in Thiruvananthapuram district is 5.2 lakh; of which 3.24 lakh are women and 1.96 lakh men. The second largest number of work seekers is in Kollam district with 3.85 lakh persons. The lowest number of work seekers registered is in Wayanad with 0.863 lakh persons, followed by Kasaragod with 0.869 lakh persons.

And Thiruvananthapuram is the only district in the state with more than three lakh women job seekers. In all the other districts the number of women seeking jobs is less than 2.5 lakh. The figures are revealed in the official data put out by the state’s Employment Department. The unemployed in Thiruvananthapuram are also backward when it comes to grabbing opportunities for self-employment. The participation of the unemployed in two employment generation schemes stands testimony.

The district has formed only four job clubs under a scheme implemented by employment exchanges in the state. Districts like Kasargod, Kannur, Malappuram and Kozhikode, which have far less unemployment, have more job clubs. The district has also one of the lowest number of beneficiaries under the Kerala State Self Employment Scheme for Registered Unemployment (KESRU).

Only  Rs 6.94 lakh have been disbursed to 45 beneficiaries under the scheme in 2016. Only Kasargod, Wayanad and Kozhikode fare worse. The number of professional and technical work seekers at the start of 2017 is 1.70 lakh. Data reveals that ITI certificate holders and Diploma holders in Engineering together constitute 97 per cent of the total professional and technical work seekers.

Numbers also show a decline in the employment in the organised sector. For instance, persons employed in organised sector decreased from 12.26 lakh in 2000 to 11.75 lakh in 2016, a reduction of 4 per cent over a period of 16 years. The reason behind the downfall is due to the increasing predominance of the informal sector.

The organised sector comprises private and public sectors and it is noteworthy that private sector employment is steadily increasing since 2011. In 2016, out of 11.85 lakh persons employed in the organised sector 5.75 lakh (48 per cent) are in the public sector and 6.10 lakh (52 per cent) are in the private sector.