New Delhi, Aug 5 (PTI) Around half of rural men aged 18 to 25 are employed while only a quarter of the women in the same age bracket are working, according to a survey involving 5,169 youths across villages of the country, the report of which was released on Monday.
The report added that 70-85 per cent of the youth said they wanted to change their jobs.
The State of Rural Youth Employment 2024, brought out by the Global Development Incubator (GDI), Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN), Development Intelligence Unit (DIU), and Transform Rural India Foundation (TRI), is based on interviews with 5,169 rural youths between 18 and 35 years of age.
The survey findings indicate that more than half of the male youth aged 18-25 are employed, whereas only a quarter of the female youth in the same age bracket are working.
Among those aged 26-35, about 85 per cent of men are employed, and nearly 10 per cent are currently unemployed after having worked earlier.
In contrast, 40 per cent of women in this age group are employed, while a quarter had exited the workforce, and a third had never been employed.
“These findings highlight a gender disparity where most employed individuals were male, while a majority of those who had never worked were female,” a statement on the report said.
According to the report, 70 to 85 per cent youth currently employed expressed a desire to change their jobs, seeking new opportunities.
“Among those aiming for a career change, a majority of both genders and age groups showed interest in starting small manufacturing, retail, or trading ventures. However, younger women stood out with a preference for securing salaried positions in government roles,” the report said.
The report stressed on finding out what the rural youth wants.
“Rural India makes up 70 per cent of the country but contributes only 46 per cent towards the country’s GDP. Rural India is also home to two-thirds of India’s 378 million youth, with agriculture and allied activities employing 80 per cent of these youth. However, with low productivity and decreasing returns, overall low value-added economic activity in rural areas, and seasonal distress migration, hidden/under employment is a critical challenge in the country,” the report said.
The report also said women seeking salaried positions showed a strong preference for teaching roles, followed by clerical positions like accounting and customer-facing jobs at front desks, with sales and marketing roles being less favoured.
Men seeking salaried employment favoured teaching, accounting/clerical roles, and factory work.
“These preferences reflect growing demand for these occupations in rural India and the increasing popularity of gig work,” the report said.
It also highlighted that vocational work is not widely seen as aspirational, necessitating efforts to restore dignity, fair practices, and pride in manual labour to unlock local and profitable opportunities for youth.
“Younger women (aged 18-25) favour government jobs while older women (aged 26-35) show increasing interest in self-employment. This shift may indicate that as women age, they prefer self-employment, possibly due to increasing social and domestic responsibilities,” the report added.
Apart from domain training, emerging trends increasingly suggest that youths are aspiring towards general and transferable skills across job types. This includes basic IT skills, presentation, etiquette and basic business conversational skills, and other soft skills which help improve critical thinking, enhance cognitive flexibility, and enhance overall workplace acumen.
Among those aspiring to start small businesses or manufacturing units, a minority (eight per cent women and 12 per cent men) felt the need for comprehensive training, while a significant majority (around 90 per cent men and 50 per cent women) sought support to access seed capital.
A significant majority of both male (over 60 per cent) and female (over 70 per cent) respondents prefer to work in or near their village rather than migrate for employment, regardless of income potential.
Agriculture and self-employment/entrepreneurship, which traditionally absorb rural labour, are not seen as aspirational career paths among the rural youth in their current state, the report added.