This age group has been in the news. Last month saw violent protests in parts of the country against the government’s Agnipath scheme, which targets recruiting 46,000 people in the age group 17.5-21 each year for a four-year tenure in the armed forces.
However, over the same period, the net jobs created for all age groups increased at a far more rapid pace of almost 98 per cent, nearly doubling their number and leaving way behind the net job creation for the 18-21 age group.
“It is a trend that has traditionally been there and is going to exacerbate after Covid. The preference is more for older people, who have more experience. If one wants to bear the burden of social security cost, one wants to do it with an experienced person,” said Radhicka Kapoor, senior fellow at the Indian Council for Research on International Economic Relations (Icrier).
“There was a decline in growth rates in manufacturing, construction and retail and whenever there is a decline in these sectors, new employment suffers the most,” said Satyaki Roy, associate professor, Institute for Studies in Industrial Development.
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