New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- Recent protests in Delhi have brought out the frustration of Indian youth over a dysfunctional educational system. While exam leaks, both for entrance to professional courses and specific job roles, were the main reason of protest, these were also a result of growing anxiety over the employment situation.

However, a simple reading of India's employment statistics would suggest an improvement in recent years.

Overall employment by the internationally-comparable gauge of weekly status has increased substantially from 431 million in 2017-18 to 563 million in 2025, with an accompanying decline in unemployment rates.

It is a different matter that most of the increase in employment is driven by agriculture, female employ...