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Changing Profile of Job Seekers EMPLOYMENT

9.55 Kerala’s traditional mind-set is such that most of the students aspire to become Doctors or
Engineers; particularly in urban areas. Vocational education is looked down as an educational
medium that is the last resort or the least preferred option of the student if s/he had not gained entry
to the Engineering and Medical stream. As a result of this, migrant labour is being imported into the
State to perform various activities.

Low Employability

9.56 Historically Kerala is seen as a State for exporter of trained and skilled labour force to the rest of
the world. Though Kerala has a very rich human resource pool, the overall employability of students
graduating from majority of general academic courses, especially in Arts and Science branches is
considered very low. The situation in technically qualified persons is not much different. A recent
study by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) had found that the employability skills of many
B.Tech graduates are very low. These students are not adequately prepared to take up jobs in the
organized sector in the fast changing economy. If strategies for meeting the growing need of various
sectors of economy for skilled manpower is not conceived and implemented, the State will lose its
advantage, as a human resource hub.

Poor Entrepreneurship Culture

9.57 Entrepreneurs are the driving force behind any economy. However, in Kerala entrepreneurship
culture is considered as relatively poor. Some of the reasons for lack of entrepreneurship in Kerala
are due to: aversion for taking risks and preference for secure employment, lack of confidence
to innovate, poor self-esteem of entrepreneurs, lack of business culture built on mutual trust etc.
Corrective measures are to be taken to address the poor entrepreneurial culture in the State and
develop an atmosphere conducive for entrepreneurial ventures to flourish.

Low Labour Force Participation Rate of Females

9.58 As already stated, the Labour Force Participation Rate and Work Participation Rate of females
are much lower as compared to many other States State in India. There are many reasons cited for
the low participation of females like failure of girls to receive professional and skill based education
and the approach of society, which tend to see women as just housewives.

Problems in the traditional sectors

9.59 The traditional industries in Kerala like coir, handlooms, cashew etc are plagued by many
problems, which adversely affected the workers employed in the sector. Further, there are many
skills in these sectors that need to be preserved. This is an area where, a strategy for up-skilling
and multi-skilling is to be adopted. There is also a need to equip traditional craftsmen with modern
technologies and access to global market.

Changes in agricultural economy

9.60 Statistics show that around 26 per cent of workers are employed in the Agriculture sector &
allied sectors in 2011-12. The changes in the agricultural economy like aversion to manual labour
by the newly educated youth, keeping of land fallow by even small land holders due to high wages,
conversion of agricultural land with an eye on real estate gain, low income etc have affected job
creation in the sector.

Economic Review 2014