How Have Over 20,000 Youths Found Jobs Through 119 Job Fairs in Ahmedabad?

Gandhinagar, Sep 9 (NationPress) The Gujarat Labour and Employment Minister Balvantsinh Rajput revealed in the Assembly on Tuesday that over the last two years, 119 job fairs conducted in the Ahmedabad district have successfully placed more than 20,000 youths in various jobs. In total, 20,195 candidates found employment through these initiatives.

To enhance accessibility, Rajput pointed out the introduction of the Anubandham web portal, launched by Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, which enables job seekers to register from the comfort of their homes and allows employers to post job openings online.

The state of Gujarat is currently home to 46 employment exchanges under the Directorate of Employment and Training, providing services such as candidate registration, job matching, career counselling, and organizing job fairs.

At these fairs in Ahmedabad, notable recruiters included iComet HR India Pvt Ltd, Tata Motors, Zydus Lifesciences Ltd, and Unison Pharmaceuticals Pvt Ltd, among others.

Moreover, special job fairs were conducted for underrepresented groups: seven fairs exclusively for Persons with Disabilities resulted in job placements for 278 candidates, while two dedicated fairs for women enabled 784 women to find employment.

Gujarat has established itself as one of India’s leading employment centers, characterized by consistently low unemployment rates and high workforce engagement.

According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) 2023–24, the state has the second-lowest unemployment rate nationwide, with a Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) of 52.9% for individuals aged 15 and older, and a remarkable 78.4% for males.

The worker-population ratio is also impressive across various education levels — 52.6% for higher secondary graduates, 67.3% for postgraduates, and 81.9% for male graduates in 2024.

Efforts to formalize employment are bolstered by initiatives like the Pradhan Mantri Viksit Bharat Rozgar Yojana, which aims to generate 35–40 lakh new jobs, formalize 20–25 lakh unorganised workers, and engage 6–7 lakh women in vital sectors such as manufacturing, textiles, construction, services, and IT.

Furthermore, investment-driven growth is creating substantial opportunities — 47% of the pharmaceutical MoUs signed at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit 2024 have already led to the creation of over 20,000 jobs.

In 2023–24, Gujarat achieved the second-lowest unemployment rate in the country, according to the PLFS, with estimates for 2025 projecting a drop to just 1.7%, significantly below the national average.

The state also excels in workforce participation — its LFPR in July–September 2023 stood at 52.9% for those aged 15 and above, among the highest in India, with male LFPR at 78.4% and youth participation (ages 15–29) at 49.3%, both leading in the nation.

Employment growth has been steady, with nearly 800,000 jobs added between 2021 and 2022, bringing total employment to a record 26.7 million, largely driven by salaried positions.

Manufacturing remains a backbone of Gujarat’s economy, contributing around 45% of its total output, with key employment-generating sectors including textiles and apparel, automobiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, and gems and jewellery.