India’s Rising Unemployment Trends — How to Tackle Unemployment Questions in IES

Riya finished her master’s in economics a year ago. Top of her class, solid internships, good with data.She thought finding a job would be simple. It wasn’t.

That pause between finishing college and finding work—every family in India knows it.That’s what unemployment really feels like. Not a graph. Not a percentage. Just time passing while people wait.

If you’re preparing for the Indian Economic Service Exam Coaching, you can’t treat unemployment as just another topic. It sits at the centre of everything—growth, inequality, policy, even hope.

The Picture Behind the Numbers

India has been growing, but jobs haven’t kept pace. Everyone says it. Few explain why.

• Youth unemployment keeps climbing. The more educated you are, the harder it can be to find work. That’s upside-down, but it’s the truth many graduates face.

• Growth without jobs—we’ve heard the phrase, but it hits harder when you see people with degrees driving cabs or freelancing just to make ends meet.

• In rural India, people work—but often on land that doesn’t need that many hands. Economists call it disguised unemployment; villagers call it “doing something rather than nothing.”

• Women’s participation keeps falling. In a country where education for girls was once a dream, that drop says a lot about how work and safety still collide.

So yes, the economy moves forward. But a part of the population keeps standing still.

Why IES Keeps Coming Back to This

If you look through old question papers, you’ll find unemployment again and again. It’s not because examiners are lazy; it’s because the topic ties everything together.

It tests whether you can think, not just recall.Can you link growth to jobs?Can you connect data to policy?Can you explain what “unemployment” really means in a developing country that’s changing by the minute?

That’s what they want to see.

What the Data Whispers

The Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) says the overall unemployment rate hovers around five percent. But the youth rate? Seventeen percent or more.

Educated unemployment is roughly three times higher than uneducated unemployment.That’s not a data point; that’s irony.

And then there’s underemployment—people technically working, but earning too little or using none of the skills they studied for. That part rarely makes headlines, but it defines lives.

How to Handle Unemployment Questions in IES

1. Start Real

Don’t open your answer with a dictionary line. Start with something that shows you get the human side.

“Unemployment in India is not just about job scarcity—it’s about the space between education and opportunity.”

2. Bring in Data Naturally

“According to the latest PLFS, overall unemployment remains steady, but youth unemployment stays stubbornly high.”No decimals, no jargon—just clarity.

3. Build the Logic, Don’t List It

Talk through causes like you would explain them to a friend:Our schools teach theory. Industry wants skills. Technology replaces workers faster than we retrain them. Growth happens, but it doesn’t pull everyone with it.

4. Mention Policies—But Speak Honestly

You can’t skip schemes like PMKVY, MGNREGA, or Make in India, but don’t turn them into slogans.Ask: Are these schemes touching the roots of the problem? Are they creating durable work or just temporary relief?

5. End Like Someone Who Cares

“India doesn’t lack people who want to work. It lacks an economy that makes room for them.”

That’s a good closing line because it feels true.

How Coaching Helps You Think Sharper

Answering unemployment questions well isn’t about memorising. It’s about learning how to think.

That’s what happens at Indian Economic Service Exam Coaching.You learn to connect the dots between PLFS data, policy reports, and what’s actually happening outside your window.You practise writing answers that sound like a person, not a paragraph copied from a textbook.

It’s training your brain to look at an issue and ask, why is this still happening—and what would fix it?

Looking Deeper

Sometimes I wonder if unemployment itself is just the surface of something bigger. Maybe the real problem is the kind of growth we’ve chosen.

We’ve built an economy that celebrates technology, automation, and efficiency. All good things. But efficiency often replaces people.Then we try to fill the gap with short-term schemes.

So maybe the real question is: can India build an economy that’s both modern and human?

If you can explore that thought in your answer, you’ll stand out. Because you’re not just listing points—you’re thinking like someone who might one day write the next Economic Survey.

CONCLUSION 

Ultimately India's unemployment rate is a mirror for society as a whole, not just a problem for policymakers. Like Riya, every number conceals a tale. Every data table shows our decisions—what we prioritize and what we overlook.

As a future IES officer, your task isn’t just to analyse the numbers. It’s to understand the people behind them and craft policies that let them move forward.

So when you face that question in your paper, breathe.Forget the formula for a moment.Think about what’s really happening out there—and write like someone who sees it.

If you want guidance that teaches you to do exactly that—to think clearly, write honestly, and link policy with people—then Indian Economic Service Exam Coaching can help.

Because economics isn’t just about growth. It’s about what that growth feels like when you’re living through it.