Mushtaq Bala
Jammu and Kashmir is witnessing a challenge that deserves far greater attention than it currently receives in political debates and official discussions. It is the growing gap between education and employment, between the aspirations of an educated generation and the opportunities available to translate those aspirations into meaningful livelihoods.
The latest Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) figures for July–September 2026 have brought this concern into sharper focus. Jammu and Kashmir has recorded an unemployment rate of 9.4 per cent, almost twice the national average of 5.1 per cent. The urban unemployment rate stands at 14.1 per cent, while the rural figure is 8.3 per cent. More disturbing is the situation of urban women, whose unemployment rate has been reported at 31.3 per cent.
These are not merely statistical variations. They represent a much larger economic and social concern that touches families, households and the future of an entire generation.
Behind every percentage point is a young person preparing for another examination, waiting for a recruitment notification, searching for a private-sector opportunity or reconsidering plans that once seemed achievable through education.
For decades, education has been presented as the most reliable route towards economic security and social mobility in Kashmir. Families have made considerable sacrifices to educate their children. Young people have invested years in university degrees, professional courses and competitive examination preparations. Yet, for many, the transition from classrooms to workplaces remains uncertain.
The question, therefore, is no longer simply how many young people are educated. It is whether the economy has developed the capacity to absorb their education, skills and ambitions.
The limits of government employment
Government employment continues to occupy a central place in the aspirations of Kashmiri youth. There are understandable reasons for this preference: job security, regular income and social stability.
However, no administration, regardless of its political mandate or financial resources, can make government recruitment the principal solution to unemployment.
The public sector has its limitations. Recruitment must be linked to sanctioned vacancies, financial capacity and institutional requirements. Delays in selection processes, examination controversies and prolonged waiting periods only deepen uncertainty among aspirants.
What is required is a more predictable recruitment system, with transparent calendars, timely examinations, declared results and appointments within reasonable deadlines.
Equally important is the need to communicate honestly with young people. Announcements create expectations, but employment is ultimately measured by actual appointments and sustainable opportunities.
A private sector waiting to expand
Jammu and Kashmir cannot address its employment challenge without developing a stronger private-sector economy.
Tourism, hospitality, handicrafts, agriculture, horticulture, food processing, information technology, filmmaking, media, construction and small-scale manufacturing possess considerable potential.
Yet, the transition from potential to productive employment requires a supportive environment.
Small entrepreneurs frequently encounter difficulties relating to finance, infrastructure, permissions, market access and institutional support. Many promising business ideas never move beyond the planning stage.
The administration must therefore look beyond investment announcements and focus on creating an ecosystem in which local enterprises can survive, expand and employ people.
The success of an industrial policy should not be measured only by the number of proposals received or projects inaugurated. Its real achievement lies in the number of functional enterprises, the investment actually realised and the jobs created and sustained.
There is also a need to recognise the employment potential of smaller businesses. Not every young entrepreneur can establish a large industrial unit. A properly supported food-processing venture, a digital services company, a tourism enterprise or a handicraft-based business can generate meaningful livelihoods.
The missing conversation about women
Perhaps the most disturbing dimension of the latest figures is urban female unemployment.
The reported rate of 31.3 per cent demands serious attention from policymakers, educational institutions and the business community.
Women are increasingly participating in higher education and professional training. However, educational advancement has not translated into proportionate employment opportunities.
The barriers are complex. They include limited availability of suitable workplaces, inadequate transport facilities, safety concerns, social expectations and the absence of flexible working arrangements in several sectors.
A serious employment strategy must address these realities.
Women should not be viewed merely as beneficiaries of welfare programmes. They must be recognised as contributors to economic growth, entrepreneurship, professional services and institutional development.
Creating opportunities for women is not simply a matter of social justice; it is also an economic necessity.
Education must connect with the economy
Another important question concerns the relationship between educational institutions and the employment market.
Universities and colleges cannot remain disconnected from the changing requirements of the economy. Degrees alone are insufficient when employers increasingly seek practical skills, technological familiarity and professional experience.
Skill development programmes must therefore be linked to actual employment opportunities rather than certificates.
There is considerable scope for strengthening vocational education, digital literacy, entrepreneurship training and industry-academia partnerships. Local institutions should engage with businesses to identify emerging requirements and prepare students accordingly.
At the same time, young people must be encouraged to explore opportunities beyond conventional career choices. The creative economy, particularly filmmaking, animation, digital production, journalism, design and cultural documentation, offers possibilities that remain relatively underdeveloped.
Kashmir possesses a distinctive cultural identity and creative talent. With appropriate institutional support, these strengths can become part of a larger economic framework.
From announcements to measurable outcomes
The present administration faces an important responsibility. Employment cannot be addressed through isolated recruitment drives or occasional entrepreneurship initiatives.
What is required is a comprehensive employment strategy supported by measurable targets and regular public reporting.
The government should publish a clear picture of sanctioned vacancies, recruitment progress, private investment realised, enterprises established and employment generated. District-level employment assessments could help identify sectors with potential and areas requiring intervention.
Mission YUVA and other entrepreneurship initiatives must also be assessed on the basis of outcomes. How many enterprises have become operational? How many continue to function? How many sustainable jobs have been created? These are the questions that matter.
The administration must also work with financial institutions, industry bodies, educational establishments and local entrepreneurs to remove practical obstacles.
Employment is not the responsibility of one department alone. It requires coordination across economic planning, education, industries, tourism, agriculture and skill development.
A generation cannot wait indefinitely
There is a human dimension to unemployment that statistics cannot fully capture.
Prolonged uncertainty affects confidence, family relationships and the ability of young people to plan their lives. It also encourages migration in search of opportunities and weakens the connection between local talent and the local economy.
Kashmir cannot afford to lose its educated generation to prolonged waiting and limited opportunities.
The challenge is not to suggest that every educated person must receive a government job, nor is it realistic to expect every young person to become an entrepreneur. The objective must be to create an economy in which different talents find different avenues of productive engagement.
The political leadership must recognise that the aspirations of young people cannot be addressed through rhetoric alone. Equally, the private sector must move beyond conventional business models and recognise its responsibility in creating employment.
The latest unemployment figures should therefore serve as an occasion for serious reflection rather than another round of political arguments.
A government is ultimately judged not only by the promises it makes, but by the opportunities it creates. An economy is not successful merely because it records investment proposals or infrastructure projects; it succeeds when ordinary people find meaningful work and the confidence to build their future.
Kashmir’s educated youth have waited long enough for the promise of education to translate into economic dignity.
The real measure of development will be the number of young people who no longer have to ask where their future lies, because they have found a meaningful place for themselves within it.
Mushtaq Bala is Editor-in-Chief of Kashmir Pen, an award-winning filmmaker, cultural commentator, and advocate for peace through narrative media.
