New Delhi, April 14 -- The recent revision of India's gross domestic product (GDP) data has generated much discussion. GDP measures the size of an economy. What gets missed, though, is that a larger economy is a means, not an end. We need growth and a bigger economy to create more productive jobs. So, what does the evidence on this front show, especially for young Indians?

In a recent paper by N. Gowthaman, A. Mishra and the writers of this piece titled 'Young Adults at Work in India' which uses 2024 Time Use Survey data, we find that just 47% of India's 200 million young adults aged 20-29 are in paid employment. Another 11% report being in higher education.

Only eight major states-Gujarat, Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka, Delhi, Tamil N...