High Unemployment - Young Urban Women in J&K
Over 50% of young urban women searching for jobs in J&K are unable to find any.
J&K's female urban unemployment rate (53.6%) is the highest in the country for youth aged 15-29.
The national average unemployment rate for this age group is 21%.
Many women are forced to take low-wage, precarious jobs in sectors like handicrafts, with some holding advanced degrees but earning minimal salaries (₹15,000-₹20,000/month).
Lack of adequate government policies and structural unemployment further exacerbates the situation
Increased Female Labour Force Participation (LFPR)
J&K's urban LFPR for young women (30.2%) is higher than the national average (21.9%) and has been consistently above the national average for years.
Despite higher participation, actual job creation has not kept pace, leading to a growing gap between supply and demand for jobs.
Shift from Services to Agriculture
The share of women employed in agriculture has more than doubled from 13.2% in 2018 to 27.6% in 2024, while the share in services has decreased from 61.7% to 47.6%.
This shift reflects distress-driven employment, indicating an agrarian crisis.
Government Schemes and their Limitations
Several government schemes (Hausla, Umeed, Tejaswini) aim to support female entrepreneurship and employment.
However, these schemes have limited success due to challenges such as access to funding and political networks.
Public sector employment is dominant in J&K, revealing a lack of private sector development and industrialization.
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