The Educated Unemployed: Evaluating the Effect of PMKVY on Employment Outcomes for India’s Educated Youth

Authors : Aditi Tiwari , Aditi Thakur , Upama Paul

Abstract

India’s unemployment sector showcases an unusual trend. Unemployment rises with education rather than falling. This study is being conducted to find whether the source of this issue lies in the demand side or the supply side of the sector. The supply side predicts that the issue lies with the lack of skills within the youth. Whereas the demand side of the issue states the problem lies in the volume of formal wage jobs present in the economy. We find through our research that available evidence is stronger in support of the demand side explanation of the problem. This evidence is presented through the administrative and audit reports of Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas yojana, the periodic labour force data and the CAG’s 2025 report. The analysis relies on aggregate secondary data rather than individual level data, therefore these findings are presented as associations and not established causal effects. The study showcases how while upskilling is important, it is not enough to solve the problem of educated unemployment within the country.

Keywords:
Educated unemployment, Periodic Labour Force Survey, skill development, PMKVY, labour demand

Authors : Ritu Sundrani, Sneha Shukla, Aviya Chauhan, Karabo Ralethohlane

Abstract :

The country-specific investigation dives into the structural challenges of youth unemployment across India, South Africa and Nigeria. It undertakes critical analysis of policies like PMKVY, PYEI and N-Power of respective nations to highlight the implementation gaps, structural mismatches and post- program “transitional cliff”. Further, the gig economy despite offering alternate livelihood opportunities creates a regulatory safety vacuum which requires structural policy actions. The study emphasizes on reorientation of policy architecture towards demanddriven ecosystem, private sector participation and digitally inclusive policies to tackle youth unemployment problem in the Global South.

KEYWORDS :
Youth unemployment, Active Labour Market Programs (ALMPs), structural mismatches, Global South, Skill development

Authors : Pushpa Akshaya Miriyala , Armaan Sareen , Shravani Tharanath

Abstract :

India’s flagship welfare schemes – Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) and POSHAN Abhiyaan, represent landmark commitments to rural housing provisioning and nutritional security respectively. Yet persistent gap separates the administrative growth outputs with substantive development outcomes. This paper undertakes a qualitative output-versus- outcome analysis of both schemes, interrogating structural gaps between quantitative delivery metrics – houses sanctioned, anganwadi coverage, beneficiaries enrolled and lived realities of human capability enhancement. The study critically examines how implementation accuracy, convergence deficits, workforce vacancies, community level absorption mediate the translation of output impact to welfare impact. Data from NFHS-4&5 trends, CAG audit observations, POSHAN tracker data bring a systemic mark: output saturation co-existing with outcome stagnation. The paper argues for realigned evaluation that centres nutritional security and housing quality as primary indices of scheme effectiveness over mere physical completion rates.

KEYWORDS :

Maternal Morbidity, Open Defecation (ODF), Aspirational Districts, Anganwadi Health Workers (AHW), Take Home Rations, Growth Monitoring Promotion Sessions.

Authors : Rachael Osioyemi Olaiya, Shreeya Gupta, Arya Rani, Nithin Reddy

Abstract :

India and Nigeria are two of the world’s largest developing economies, both marked by young, fast-growing populations and fundamental youth unemployment, prompting governments to create entrepreneurship programmes. Despite these programmes, most businesses remain informal. Roughly 80% of Nigerian SMEs fail within five years, and nearly 90% of India’s youth workforce is informally employed. Output-focused evaluations fail to capture the implementation gap between formal policy and its on-the-ground effectiveness. This paper evaluates why youth entrepreneurship policies in India and Nigeria consistently fail to produce sustainable outcomes, and what both countries can learn from economies that have successfully closed this gap. Adopting a qualitative-comparative case study approach, the paper examines India and Nigeria as primary cases benchmarked against South Korea and Rwanda. Drawing on national MSME surveys, ILOSTAT, World Bank Enterprise Survey, GEM India, and government program evaluations, the paper applies Stam’s Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Framework as the analytical lens across all four countries. The analysis reveals that India and Nigeria’s ecosystems remain weak across formal institutions, finance, infrastructure, and intermediate organisations, reflecting a governance approach that controls outcomes rather than building conditions required by businesses to grow and formalise. South Korea’s unified SME Ministry, collateral-free policy funds, alongside Rwanda’s regulatory reforms, demonstrate that closing this gap requires deliberate ecosystem governance rather than direct financial interjection. The paper concludes that high failure rates reflect design flaws in ecosystems built for the formalized urban minority, not low entrepreneurial ambition, and calls for development policy to measure success by accessible infrastructure rather than loan disbursement volume.

Keywords:
Youth Entrepreneurship, Implementation Gap, Entrepreneurial Ecosystems, Informality, Ecosystem Governance, India, Nigeria