Amid India's high unemployment rate, RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka has highlighted another key issue that is affecting his business. He believes that while people are complaining about unemployment, his company is facing a shortage of 'skilled' workers. According to Goenka's post on the X platform (formerly known as Twitter), "We want construction workers- we can’t find enough! We want truck drivers- huge shortage! We want plantation workers- they are not available! Can’t understand solution".
Further Goenka raised a few questions, seeking solutions. He asked, "Do we need to mechanise more to reduce the need of people? Do people not want to work and live on doles? Do we need to do more towards skill development? Do we need a digital platform that matches employees and employers effectively?".
Several netizens have agreed with Goenka. The business magnate also said that "Responsible skilling and training" are significant, and added, "As a country, I feel we undermine the importance of after-sales service".
A user replied to Goenka's post saying, "Bitter truth is Skill Training Centres hardly find students. Our youth want only white-collar jobs, no blue-collar jobs even if they pay well. Advert for peon or clerk you will get 1000s of applicants".
A user suggested to Goenka that if industries will come together and start their Skill Development Centres then the shortage of skilled labour could be resolved.
"The most effective to meet and Match demand would be for the industries to come together and start Skills Development Centres across the country that adopts or works with Colleges and Polytechnics to teach, train and develop skills that are required by the Industry & take them in".
Another user highlighted the gaps in India's education system, resulting in a shortage of skilled labour. The user wrote, "In order to improve productivity and reduce the cost of operation, mechanisation is inevitable. To some extent there is a certain class of people who don't want to work hard, rather they try everything to get a government job to be secure and comfortable. This tendency needs to be curtailed.
The major problem is with our education system which is more of a degree oriented rather than skill or knowledge oriented. In order to to make a youth skillful our education system should include practical approaches of study rather than solely relying on theoretical studies. Skill Development of youth of India is the need of the hour, though the government is trying to do something in this regard but evidently it is not that effective as it should be".
One user agreed with Goenka that unemployment is a worry, but then there's also a lack of skilled workers like construction folks, truck drivers, and plantation workers.
"Using more machines could help, but we shouldn't forget about the importance of people's jobs and skills," the user added.
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