Eco Survey calls for strategic plan for skills, education to leverage demographic dividend
New Delhi: A strategic plan for skills and education is essential to leverage the demographic dividend and achieve the ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’ goals, said the Economic Survey, advocating early vocational training to enable a smooth transition from learning to the job market.
A robust future road-map must prioritise industry-academia partnerships, continuous skill development, and flexible learning models to create a globally competitive workforce, said the Survey, adding that several key areas require focused attention and strategic intervention to achieve this vision of a robust skilling ecosystem.
The Economic Survey 2024-25 which was tabled in Parliament on Friday flags that a key challenge in the skill landscape is the prevalence of low-skilled workers, which is attributable to the quality of educational outcomes across different levels of education.
“Low educational skills in the workforce make a mismatch between their academic qualifications and job market demands. This mismatch has resulted in over 53 per cent of graduates and 36 per cent of postgraduates being underemployed in roles below their educational qualifications,” it stated.
The survey suggested that targeted schemes that incentivise skilling and employment creation can help bridge the skill gap and promote job creation through the right incentives.
Aligning skill development programmes with industry needs and adopting a long-term strategy focused on women and girls will prepare them for evolving job opportunities and help India effectively leverage its demographic dividend, it said.
It has also called for reshaping the labour market with an emphasis on women-led development for achieving gender parity and fostering inclusive economic growth.
Early vocationalisation of education may be carried out to improve employability through vocational training, said the survey, adding that policies should prioritise targeted skill development and support for emerging sectors while encouraging transitioning from traditional to non-traditional roles.
