Although the unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 6.7 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 3.5 per cent, as many as 40,646 posts are lying vacant in various government departments of the Union Territory.
According to a document tabled in the Legislative Assembly in response to a question by BJP member Satish Sharma, the Jammu and Kashmir government informed the House that 3,808 gazetted posts, 24,507 non-gazetted posts, and 12,331 Multi-Tasking Staff (MTS) posts are currently vacant across departments.
However, the government clarified that several of these vacancies have already been advertised by recruitment agencies, while some posts are at the final stage of the selection process.
Notably, out of the total 40,646 vacancies, as many as 13,297 posts are vacant in the Health and Medical Education Department alone.
The document stated that the government has adopted a structured and proactive approach to ensure that vacancies are filled in an efficient and time-bound manner. This includes periodic assessment of vacancies and prompt referral of posts to recruiting agencies to avoid procedural delays.
"Recruitment processes are carried out strictly in accordance with the applicable recruitment rules and statutory provisions, with emphasis on advance planning of recruitment cycles and realistic scheduling of various stages of selection," the government said. It added, "The progress of recruitment at each stage is regularly reviewed to ensure adherence to timelines and to address bottlenecks in a timely manner."
"In addition, efforts are being made to simplify and rationalise recruitment-related procedures, enhance coordination with recruiting agencies, and adopt technology-enabled systems for examinations, scrutiny of applications, and declaration of results," the government stated, adding that these measures are aimed at expediting the recruitment process while maintaining fairness and merit-based selection.
J&K unemployment rate higher than national average
Earlier, the government informed the Legislative Assembly that the unemployment rate in Jammu and Kashmir stands at 6.7 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 3.5 per cent.
It stated that unemployment levels in the Union Territory have fluctuated over the past few years.
According to data from the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) of the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, J&K's unemployment rate was 6.1 per cent in 2023–24, 4.4 per cent in 2022–23, 5.2 per cent in 2021–22, 5.9 per cent in 2020–21, and 6.7 per cent in 2019–20.
The government further revealed that an extensive survey conducted in January 2025 by the Employment Department, in collaboration with district administrations under Mission YUVA, found that 4.73 lakh individuals in the 18–60 age group reported being "not working but willing to work" out of a total surveyed population of 64.8 lakh.
Detailing the steps taken to curb unemployment, particularly among youth, the government said Mission YUVA has emerged as a key initiative focused on entrepreneurship promotion, skill development, recruitment drives, and self-employment generation.
Since its launch, over 1.71 lakh youth have registered on the Mission YUVA platform, resulting in nearly 70,000 formal enterprise applications.
Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) have been prepared for about 52,875 candidates, while 47,816 applications have been approved at the district level.
So far, 16,141 cases have completed the full approval cycle, leading to bank sanctions of nearly Rs 1,000 crore, with over Rs 700 crore already disbursed.
Additionally, 7,339 entrepreneurs have completed training, while around 5,000 are currently undergoing training.
The government said around 15,000 more applications are at an advanced stage and are expected to be sanctioned by March 31, 2026. Another 22,000 cases are likely to be cleared in the next three to four months.
It added that the introduction of the Nano Enterprise model, aimed at low-risk investments of Rs 5–6 lakh, has further encouraged youth to take up entrepreneurship.
The government said a comprehensive policy roadmap has been formulated to generate employment opportunities for educated unemployed youth, with Mission YUVA at its core.
Under various schemes, thousands of beneficiaries have been covered during 2023–24 and 2024–25, with substantial funds allocated to initiatives such as Mumkin, Tejaswani, the Spurring Entrepreneurship Innovative Scheme, the Women Entrepreneurship Programme, and entrepreneurship training.
Mission YUVA has received applications from 95 per cent of panchayats, reflecting its wide acceptance, the government said.
Special emphasis has been laid on first-generation entrepreneurs, women, and youth from remote and border areas, it added.
