Central Institute of Business Management Research & Development is in the  practice of hosting annually the Central India Management Conclave (CIMC), a platform for academicians and corporates to express their thoughts and views on various topics. This year, the 11th CIMC in a row was on the subject “Unemployment: Causes, Concerns and Curesâ€. This topic was suggested to mark the 89 years of International Unemployment Day (March 30, 1030).
The panel discussion was hosted as a part of Conclave proceedings. The gathering of panelists comprised of noted economist, Dr. Shriniwas Khandewale, eminent academician, Dr. Vinayak Deshpande, President, Shivkumar Rao, Vidarbha Economic Development, Pradeep Maheshwary, Entrepreneur & Vice President, Vidarbha Economic Development, Mrudul Chakrawarty, Head HR, TCS and Secretary of NHRDN, Anita Rao, Entrepreneur and representing VIA, Mangesh Gomase, from Sakal, representing the Fourth Estate and Director, Sericulture, Bhagyashree Banait, representing the Bureaucracy.
The program was inaugurated at the hands of Bhagyashree Banait and moderated by Rishi Chourasia from Vikalp Education. All the panelists gave valuable contributions on the said topic.
Anita Rao said that the population is the main problem of unemployment in India. The other reasons are the faulty education system, lack of adequate infrastructure. Employment skewed more in favour of the male population and also the shift towards capital intensive organizations. She also said that only 4.6 people, according to NITI Ayog report are employable and there are reports that a lot of startups too could not survive. She mentioned that the slow pace of industrialization is also one of the reasons of unemployment.
Head HR, TCS, Mrudul Chakrawarty, said that people are worried that artificial intelligence and machines will take over human jobs but actually it does not happened that way. The fact is that new skill sets needs to be taught keeping in mind skills required for industry 4.0. Behavioral aspects too have to be considered in framing curriculum of education. Dr. Vinayak Deshpande said that according to the law of elasticity of employment, if the GDP is greater than 10% then 1% of employment takes place. He further said that the manufacturing sector has seen less investment in the recent past which could be one of the causes of unemployment. Dr. Deshpande was of the opinion that we may require to do something more than what china has done. Sectors having GDP growth are also not creating jobs as is required.
Dr. Sriniwas Khandewale spoke about rural unemployment. He has stressed upon the latest Govt. figure of lowering the agro sector income and informed that 1% reduction in GDP takes away about 10,00,000 jobs. It is also the reason for NPAs. If there is declined in capital collection then jobs are affected. He stressed on the state of the saturated economy of Japan with no effective demand from market, giving rise to unemployment.
Shivkumar Rao said we are not growing at the required rate. Hence unemployment is observed. A behavioural problem has given rise to our unemployment issue. Â We are also facing a problem of demographic disaster. We need to exploit the demographic advantage we have.
Pradeep Maheshwary opined that lots of opportunities are there but are not exploited. There are ample of opportunities in drinking water business, water management, solar management, minerals management and natural resources management. It must be given strength, since, only 30% area is exploited. Our exports are less. Political goodwill is also required.
Bhagyashree Banait informed to the audience about the activities, she has undertaken to give boost to sericulture business in Maharashtra. She has cited the experiment, she has done to get noticed in the silk producing community about the change in the material they sell and the ultimate finished product, the silk cloth and sarees.
Mangesh Gomase has stressed that there is a wrong concept that “education is for getting employmentâ€. Education is to get knowledge and employment is based on knowledge. His stressed that need of skill development activities should be embedded in the school and college study itself. One has to come out of his comfort zone to innovate in product and service to solve the problem of unemployment.
Finally to surmise a fundamental shift in mindset is the need of the hour. Education alone cannot make way for progress. Right policies alone cannot bring positive results. And a different government too cannot solve this anxious problem overnight.
We require creating an inclusive space that embraces cultures, innovation  and research. We must build quality institutions that  can impart education of the similar stature to each and all. We must focus on developing the aptitude and skills that respond to the global market. We must welcome migration for better opportunities and life. Unless we do this, we can never equate education with employability. The program ended with vote of thanks.
