BENGALURU: Nearly 40% of young graduates in India are unemployed, a figure that has remained largely unchanged for four decades, according to the State of Working India 2026 report by Azim Premji University. The report—which defines youth as those between 15 and 29 years—shows that unemployment among young graduates remains persistently high, with 40% of those between 15-25 years and 20% of 25-29 years unable to find work.
This is not a new trend. The report, which draws from nationally representative labour force surveys, administrative databases, and primary surveys, states that graduate unemployment has “remained more or less unchanged between 35% and 40%” from 1983 to 2023, even as the number of graduates has increased significantly over time.
Even when work is found, stable employment is uncommon. Tracking young graduate men over a year, the report finds about half can find some form of work, but few secure permanent salaried employment. “Among graduates, only about 7% find permanent salaried employment within a year,” the report states. The report estimates that the share of working-age population will begin to decline after 2030.