CHENNAI: After a tough one hour of preparing a cement mix and passing pans of it to the brick-layer, 21-year-old A Pasupathy reaches out for his buzzing Lenovo smartphone.
“Just checking my messages,” says the smiling Villupuram native, who is also a diploma holder in mechanical engineering from Surya Polytechnic. Pasupathy and his friend 21-year-old R Nandagopal, a diploma in civil engineering, are part of the construction labour force which is renovating the Railway marriage hall in Ayanavaram. While Pasupathy will be preparing cement, laying bricks and white-washing the walls, Nandagopal says he is the supervisor of the works.
The contractor is a friend from their native village, Gingee in Villupuram and Nandagopal says they are chipping in with some help.
Pasupathy is not as diplomatic. “I worked for one year on the assembly line of a global car manufacturer in Oragadam. After my contract ended two months ago, I was asked to leave. I didn’t get another job as all employers ask for work experience. That’s why I’m working here,” he says.
The embarrassment of the mis-match between their educational qualification and current occupation is obvious on their faces. “I get paid `10,000 for one month, which is much more than what my friends get in certain companies,” Nandagopal claims.
But through a lengthy conversation, he reveals an ambition for further studies, which might remain unfulfilled because of a financially weak family background.
Independent labour researcher, T Venkat said this trend was not surprising, but points to the lack of permanent employment opportunities in the State. “It raises a question on the difficulties faced by skilled and educated youngsters to find jobs,” he says.