New Delhi, Jan 5 (NationPress) - A coalition of industry pioneers has come together to unveil the Hundred Million Jobs (HMJ) initiative, aiming to create 10 crore jobs in India over the next decade.

This collaborative effort, spearheaded by Harish Mehta, co-founder of Nasscom, A.J. Patel, founder of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE), and K. Yatish Rajawat, founder of The Centre for Innovation in Public Policy (CIPP), emerges as India grapples with a unique juxtaposition of a soaring economy and a significant job shortage.

With India's working-age population increasing by 12 million each year, the nation requires 8-9 million new jobs annually over the next decade to accommodate fresh entrants and harness its demographic dividend.

“Leveraging the skills-driven triumph of Nasscom and the global entrepreneurial ecosystem fostered by TiE, the Hundred Million Jobs Mission is a systems-oriented initiative designed to empower job creators—such as entrepreneurs, MSMEs, and employers—by harmonizing skills, enterprise, data, and policy to provide resilient and dignified livelihoods for the upcoming generation,” stated Harish Mehta, Co-Founder of Nasscom.

“Startups and small businesses account for 30% of India’s GDP and are the foremost job creators. Our focus is on cultivating the entrepreneurial spirit in India’s small towns and districts. To achieve the goal of generating 8-9 million jobs each year, we must address certain structural challenges to make entrepreneurship an aspiration and a viable engine for mass employment,” added A.J. Patel, Founder of TiE, recognized as the largest network of Indian entrepreneurs globally.

Despite being one of the fastest-growing economies globally, India's job growth has not kept up.

Technological advancements, including automation and artificial intelligence, are reshaping business landscapes and diminishing traditional entry-level positions across both service and manufacturing sectors. The risk of economic growth becoming increasingly dissociated from job creation presents a substantial opportunity for entrepreneurs to establish job-heavy industries.

To address this, Hundred Million Jobs prioritizes entrepreneurship and reskilling as key components of India's employment strategy, alongside other essential areas requiring enhancement.

The organization’s mission is to ensure that dignified, widespread, and sustainable job creation is regarded as a core indicator of India's progress.

“India’s employment issue is fundamentally a systems issue. Achieving large-scale job creation depends on various factors, including business models and labor-intensive sectors, but critically, it requires a shift in mindset at both business and government levels. The challenge lies in embedding job growth at the heart of economic development,” explained K. Yatish Rajawat, Founder-CEO of The Centre For Innovation Policy.

“The Hundred Million Jobs mission addresses this challenge by reinforcing and advancing a seven-pillar framework established to facilitate job creation throughout India,” he added.

The Hundred Million Jobs initiative is designed as a collaborative platform supported by leadership from the industry, civil society, and government.