Educated or unemployed India? 7 out of 10 graduates forced to wander from door to door; Horrible truth of unemployment revealed in statistics

66 Percent Graduates Unemployed: The youth unemployment figures in India may look decent at headline level, but a closer look reveals a worrying trend. According to chartered accountant Nitin Kaushik, graduates constitute the largest share in the unemployed population, which is raising concerns about the country’s education system and skill readiness.

In a post on social media platform X, Kaushik wrote that in countries like France and OECD, the unemployment rate among youth remains high, while India is facing a different structural problem. He said that there are about 66% unemployed graduates in India. In most countries a degree serves as a protection against unemployment, but here it has become a weakness.

What is the graduate unemployment rate in India?

According to Nitin Kaushik, the graduate unemployment rate in India is around 29%, which is higher than many emerging and developed economies for the same demographic. This shows that higher education is not helping in getting jobs, creating a gap between qualifications and market demand.

India is expected to remain one of the youngest countries in the world, with projections suggesting that about 63% of the population could be in the working age group by 2031. However, Kaushik warned that the demographic dividend could become a liability if job creation and skill development do not pick up pace.

No job after professional degrees

Kaushik said that if current trends continue, we are not looking at a demographic dividend but a large, educated but underemployed population. Many professional degrees have become a waiting period to prepare for a government job rather than a path to a job. Countries like South Korea have managed to keep youth unemployment low by focusing on vocational and technical training rather than increasing general academic degrees. They prepared specialists through a strong vocational system, whereas we are preparing generalists with certificates.

Graduates are a surplus commodity.

India’s youth unemployment is a contradiction.

While France sits at 17.7% and the OECD average is 11.2%, our headline numbers look manageable.

But look closer: 66% of our unemployed are graduates.

In most countries, a degree is a shield;… pic.twitter.com/q4ergGEsPG

— CA Nitin Kaushik (FCA) | LLB (@Finance_Bareek) March 12, 2026

Union Budget 2026 increased the allocation for skilling programs by nearly 62% to about ₹9,886 crore, but Kaushik believes the scale is still very small compared to the size of the problem. This allocation is less than 0.2% of total government spending, which is not enough to address the graduate unemployment rate near 30%.

Value of traditional degree reduced

He also mentioned the financial burden on middle-class families, who in turn invest heavily in higher education in the hope of a stable career. But, the job market is no longer taking graduates at the same pace. Parents are saving money for tuition, but the market is no longer buying the degrees they offer, she said. The value of traditional degrees is declining faster than most assets in middle-class portfolios.

Also read: Forbes List 2026: Neither Shahrukh…nor Tom Cruise, this filmmaker has the most money; See the list of top 10 rich people

Kaushik further said that the issue is not the lack of effort among the students, but Education-to-Employment There is a structural problem in the pipeline. He said that we invest more in credentials and less in competency. He appealed to focus more on practical skills, vocational training and industry related education.