Around 8.7 crore Indian youth not studying, working or undergoing training: Niti Aayog

NITI Aayog report highlights NEET youth and skill gaps

An estimated 8.7 crore Indians aged 15 to 29 are neither studying, working nor undergoing training, according to a NITI Aayog report titled 'Reimagining Skilling for Viksit Bharat@2047'. The figure, drawn from the 78th round of the National Sample Survey conducted in 2021, amounts to roughly 11% of the relevant population, as reported by multiple outlets.

The report classifies India's workforce and learners into five categories: those attending school, those in tertiary education, formal and informal workers, women, and NEET (not in education, employment, or training) youth. Together, these segments represent around 60 crore citizens, Moneycontrol reported.

Nearly 88% of NEET youth are engaged in domestic duties, the report noted. It also found that only 3% of women hold formal jobs, and 71% of women work without any social security benefit, according to Moneycontrol and Deccan Chronicle.

The report emphasises that "NEET youth are constrained by the absence of income and the sunk cost of prior education," a line quoted by several sources. It argues that students often cannot layer paid skilling onto existing financial commitments, particularly those from low-income households who are already stretched by college expenses and private tuition.

Skill mismatch and unemployment data

The report highlights a significant disconnect between educational qualifications and employment outcomes. Only 8.25% of graduates are employed in roles aligned with their qualifications, a statistic cited by multiple outlets and echoed in the Economic Survey 2024-25, according to Deccan Chronicle.

Around 80% of learners cited inadequate industry exposure as a key gap, said Outlook India, which focused on the mismatch between academic degrees and workplace requirements. Generic degree programmes such as BA, BCom and BSc often have weak links with employment, leaving many graduates needing additional skills even for entry-level jobs, the report noted.

Youth unemployment stands at 15.6%, rising to 19.5% among young women, according to figures cited by Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge in a post on X, based on the Periodic Labour Force Survey. Graduates constitute 67% of unemployed Indians aged 20-29, and unemployment among graduates aged 15-25 is nearly 40%, Kharge said.

The report also notes that just 8% of secondary and higher-secondary schools offer skilling aligned to the national framework, and fewer than one in 12 offer vocational subjects at all, Moneycontrol reported.

Recommendations and policy context

The NITI Aayog report calls for affordable or subsidised training options for NEET youth and women, along with dedicated financial support where constraints are most binding. It stresses that "across segments, the ability to combine learning with earning remains a central requirement."

For the workforce and NEET youth, the report shifts focus towards mid-career reskilling, self-employment pathways, and learning options aligned with local demand and emerging sectors. It also recommends introducing skill development programmes in schools, with universal general employability and entrepreneurship skills from Class 6 to 12, and vocational pathways from Class 9, as reported by scroll.in.

The report underscores the economic case for skilling: a graduate with skills earns a starting salary of around Rs 29,000 per month compared to Rs 22,000 for those without, a gap that widens to Rs 9.7 lakh over a decade, Moneycontrol reported. Since 2014-15, over 7.67 crore people have been trained, and the FY2025-26 Budget allocates Rs 34,000 crore for skilling, according to Moneycontrol.

The National Education Policy (NEP) 2020 envisioned that 50% of students would have exposure to vocational subjects by 2025, and all students by 2030-21, but implementation remains in its nascent stages, Deccan Chronicle noted.

Between November 2024 and July 2025, there were 1.86 crore applications for 55,000 government posts, highlighting the intense competition for secure employment, Outlook India reported.

Congress's political response

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge attacked the government over the NITI Aayog findings, accusing it of "completely ravaging" young India's pathway from education to employment. In a post on X, he cited the report's estimate of 8.7 crore NEET youth and asked three questions to Prime Minister Narendra Modi: "Where are the jobs after graduation?" "What happened to the promise of 2 crore jobs every year?" and "Who is turning India's demographic dividend into a demographic disaster?"

Kharge claimed that graduates constitute 67% of unemployed Indians aged 20-29, and that by the promise of 2 crore jobs annually, India should have seen 24 crore jobs in 12 years. Instead, lakhs of government posts remain vacant while secure employment is replaced by contractual and part-time work, he alleged.

The Congress's criticism was carried by Daily Excelsior and The New Indian Express, which led their coverage with the political accusation before presenting the report's details.

Perspectives

• NITI Aayog: The report presents the issue as a structural challenge, attributing NEET youth to financial constraints and gaps in skilling, and recommends policy measures such as subsidised training, school-level skill development, and industry-aligned pathways.
• Congress (Mallikarjun Kharge): Blames the Modi government for the situation, citing unfulfilled job promises, inadequate education, and a "widening skills gap" as evidence of policy failure.