India is the most populated country in the world, with a population of over 1.428 billion people. As this population rises, the demand for jobs also increases. People need jobs to fulfill their needs, and their first preference for jobs is government jobs.
The demand for government jobs is a never-ending story, but have you wondered, “Why government jobs are decreasing in India?” According to the Economic Times, only 0.3% (722,311) of the total candidates (220 million) were recruited who applied for permanent government jobs in the last eight years (from 2022) in India.
There are various reasons for the decline of government jobs in India, let’s discuss the reasons behind the decline of govt jobs in detail.
The Reasons Behind the Decline of Government Jobs in India
Privatization of PSUs
Privatization of the public sectors like airports, financial sectors like banks, insurance companies, petrochemicals, and the telecom sector is one of the reasons for the decline of government jobs in India.
Even in sectors like the railway, the number of jobs is decreasing because the government is privatizing small-scale jobs as private workers are cheaper and more efficient.
This privatization can create job opportunities as well as cause job losses as private organizations restructure the company for efficiency, which can create both possibilities at the same time.
Overpopulation
Overpopulation is one of the main reasons for the decline of govt jobs in India and also for unemployment in India. People are struggling to get jobs in both the private sector and government sector because of overpopulation in India.
The number of job seekers in India is far greater than the number of job opportunities available, and the government must allocate resources to fulfill the needs of the people, which leads to fewer resources left for job creation.
From 2014 to 2022, 22,05,99,238 candidates applied for govt jobs, and only 7,22,311 were selected (data shared by Jitender Singh, a junior minister in the personnel ministry).
According to the government of India, the number of selected candidates for govt jobs has been decreasing since 2014. Here is a summary table:
| Year | Number of Applicants | Selected Candidates |
|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 2,32,22,083 | 1,30,423 |
| 2015-16 | 2,95,51,844 | 1,11,807 |
| 2016-17 | 2,28,99,612 | 1,01,333 |
| 2017-18 | 3,94,76,878 | 76,147 |
| 2018-19 | 5,09,36,479 | 38,100 |
| 2019-20 | 1,78,39,752 | 1,47,096 |
| 2020-21 | 1,80,01,469 | 78,555 |
| 2021-22 | 1,86,71,121 | 38,850 |
| Total | 22,05,99,238 | 7,22,311 |
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Decline in Job Openings
The number of job openings has also declined since 2014. For example, the Civil Service Exam (CSE) offered 1236 selections in 2014 for positions like IAS, IPS, IFS, Group A vacancies, and Group B vacancies, but only 712 selections were offered in 2021, with a fall rate of 40%.
Despite a declining recruitment rate, there is a shortage of officers in these services. According to a report from DoPT, various posts were lying vacant in these services, like 1,449 IAS posts, 970 IPS posts, and about 560 IFS posts were lying vacant in 2019-20.
People link this situation with the New Pension Scheme (NPS), as the government is aiming to reduce expenses on salaries and pensions.
Some think that the government is prioritizing job creation in the private sector to boost the growth of the private sector in India.
Technology Advancements
We all know how AI and technologies are improving rapidly and how they are replacing humans for various job roles. Due to these advancements, there is now a low demand for employees to do simple tasks as AI can automate tasks, especially repetitive tasks.
AI has destroyed a lot of jobs, but it has also created a lot of jobs. People who know how to use AI properly can create various job opportunities for themselves and make their work more effective and efficient with the help of AI.
Now, when we talk about the decline in government jobs in India, AI is also one of the reasons behind it.
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Future of Government jobs in India
The future of government jobs in India varies depending on different factors, but some common things are going to be as they are because of the high demand for govt jobs and actions taken by the government for the growth of our economy. The future of government jobs might be bright or dark because of the following factors:
- The continuous decline in govt job openings will be constant as the government might focus on creating alternate job opportunities in the private sector and will try to invest in more advanced technologies to automate the work.
- Getting a job position in Groups A and B will be more difficult because of the high competition and low supply of jobs.
- The government may not raise enough revenue to provide salaries and pensions because of overpopulation as only a small percentage will be left to give salaries to the employees.
- The demand for govt jobs will still be high because of the comfort and security they provide.
- The decline in government jobs will create a balance between private and government jobs as more people will become aware of the competition in govt jobs and will focus on other job opportunities.