KOZHIKODE: The unemployment rate in the district is falling, especially that of women, which has dropped to 20 percent, according to the district employment exchange register. The unemployment rate was over 50 percent in the previous years. The improvement is mainly due to the various skill development programmes introduced by both the state and central governments and the job fairs conducted by the employment exchange in collaboration with the employability centre recently.
“For over five decades, the number of unemployed youths was going up in the district, but now it is coming down, said Mr Suresh Kumar, district employment office representative. Educated youths were struggling to find jobs earlier, but the timely intervention of the government has helped in averting unemployment, he said.
Previously, only less than 30 or 40 percent of the total number of youths were entering the workforce. But with the advent of several skill development projects, especially those focused on women, the scenario has changed. The government aims to eradicate joblessness completely from Kerala as it is one of the ten states with the highest unemployment rate, he added.
