India's Demographic Advantage at Risk

India is at a pivotal moment where its demographic advantage could either propel economic growth or lead to a crisis of unemployment and underemployment. The Economic Survey 2024-25 emphasizes the urgent need for aligning education with skill-based learning and creating a robust system of lifelong learning.

Education and Skill Development Gaps

Despite an increase in enrolment, with higher education student numbers rising from 3.42 crore in 2014-15 to 4.33 crore in 2021-22, dropout rates at secondary and higher secondary levels remain high. This poses a significant barrier to achieving the NEP-2020 target of 100% Gross Enrolment Ratio by 2030.

Workforce Challenges

The survey reveals that 90.2% of India's workforce has only secondary-level education or lower, with 88.2% engaged in low-competency jobs. There's a deep-rooted employability crisis due to a disconnect between formal education and industry expectations.

Industry Participation and Future Skills

Initiatives like FutureSkills Prime have trained 1.27 lakh people in AI, robotics, and automation. However, a large portion of the workforce remains unprepared for the evolving job market. The survey recommends incentivizing companies to offer hands-on training and mentorship to ensure a steady supply of job-ready graduates.