An analysis of the employment exchange statistics by the directorate general of employment and training of the labour ministry has revealed that there were 4.05 crore (40.5 million) persons waiting for jobs at the end of the year 2004.
Their number is slightly less compared to 4.14 crore (41.4 million) persons waiting for jobs at the end of 2003.
The analysis also reveals an increasing trend in the number of vacancies notified at the employment exchange during last three years (2002-04). While 2.7 lakh jobs were notified during 2004 and in 2003 it was 2.6 lakh jobs.
However the placement, which was of the order of 1.55 lakh during 2003, has gone down to 1.38 lakh in 2004. Out of the total number of vacancies notified during 2004 around 50 per cent were filled through the employment exchanges.
Placement to submission ratio at the All India level was around 7.6 per cent.
The maximum number of 70 lakh job seekers through employment exchanges were in West Bengal followed by 45.1 lakh in Tamil Nadu, 43.9 lakh in Maharashtra and 37.5 lakh in Kerala.
The number of vacancies notified by the employment exchange during 2004 were in Gujarat (74,400) followed by Maharashtra (35,700), Tamil Nadu (28,00) and West Bengal (22,700).
In other states the number of vacancies notified varied between 18.6 thousand to 0.1 thousand.
The Employment Exchanges sponsored 18 lakh job seekers out of which only 1.4 lakh could find placement, which is far less than 2.7 lakh vacancies notified during 2004.
Gujarat registered the highest placement of 65,000. However, placement to submission ratio was maximum in Jammu & Kashmir (37.5 per cent) followed by Jharkhand (31 per cent), Gujarat (40 per cent) and Haryana (25.4 per cent).
There are 947 employment exchanges in the country. Kerala has a maximum number of 86 employment exchanges while Uttar Pradesh has 84 and West Bengal 75 employment exchanges.
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