Unemployment Among Youth, TN's Silent Emergency

IN Tamil Nadu, we have long prided ourselves on being industrious, innovative, and aspirational.

- EDAPPADI K PALANISWAMI

For decades, our state was a model of industrial development and social mobility—a place where hard work translated into upward progress. But today, that promise is breaking down. The unemployment crisis, especially among our youth, has become more than an economic issue—it is a quiet emergency that the current government has neither acknowledged seriously nor addressed competently.

According to the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE), as of early 2024, Tamil Nadu's unemployment rate stood at 5.2%, higher than the national average. But statistics only reveal part of the problem. Under-employment, disguised unemployment, and the migration of skilled youth to other states and abroad reflect a growing erosion of opportunity, affecting lakhs of families.