The creation of formal jobs for those in the 18-21 age group in India has declined steadily, sharply eroding this cohort’s share of the net new Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) accounts opened over the last four years. It is a trend that economists and researchers say might continue.
The data shows the share of this age group in the net EPF accounts created — a proxy for net new formal jobs created — fell from 37.9 per cent in 2018-19 to 24.1 per cent in 2021-22.
This age group has been in the news. Last month saw