New Delhi, July 29 -- The paradox of high growth of unemployment alongside rapid economic growth is one of India's most urgent challenges. Some large employment-intensive and fast-growing sectors like construction, garments, transportation, etc, will help make growth more labour intensive.

However, this can only be a short-run holding operation at best. Most jobs offered in these sectors would be low-skilled, low-paid jobs. It would match the low-skill profile of most entrants to the workforce. Over half of them are not employable, according to employers' organizations. Less than 5% have any certified skills compared to over 70% in most European countries and over 90% in some East Asian economies. This skill profile cannot be changed ove...