According to the latest Labour Force Survey of the Union Ministry of Statistics, Kerala ranks fifth in the country in terms of unemployment. Unemployment in Kerala cities is 8.6 percent. It is 12.6 percent for women and 6.5 percent for men. This is the survey result for the October-December quarter of 2024. The survey says that among the youth of Kerala in the age group of 15 to 29, 18.6 percent of males and 35.6 percent of females are unemployed. The government cannot solve unemployment by providing employment to everyone. The gap between our population growth and job opportunities is that big.

The youth should slowly start moving on from the attitude of wanting only a government job. Waiting for a government job will only increase the severity of unemployment. Only by creating massive opportunities for the growth of the private sector can employment opportunities be increased in Kerala. The largest number of young people find jobs in the service sector. However, we can address unemployment to a large extent if the agricultural sector is able to grow with an emphasis on industrialization. The implementation of the 2400 crore 'KERA' scheme for agricultural innovation through smart farming methods in the state should also be used as an opportunity for employment opportunities.

In an interview with Kerala Kaumudi, Principal Secretary of the Agriculture Department, Dr. B. Ashok, stated that the KERA scheme will play a crucial role in the industrialization of Kerala by supporting agricultural enterprises, value-added products, startups, producer organizations and small industries. Usually, the main reason why the youth stay away from agriculture is the low income from it. If the value addition of agricultural products and other related agri-businesses are transformed into a way of earning double the income of a government job, then the youth will not fail to be attracted to that field. The government should strengthen the agricultural value-added chain and take steps to expand processing units, food parks and agri-tech startups related to agriculture, in parallel with this.

The youth of Kerala need to be transformed into the mindset of starting a small enterprise that will provide employment to a few people instead of waiting for a job. Small entrepreneurs should also be able to find markets abroad for Kerala's unique agricultural products. If large-scale infrastructure development is possible in the agricultural sector of Kerala through the KERA project, it will open a big way to solve unemployment.

According to the labour force survey, Gujarat has the lowest unemployment rate in cities - three percent. In Gujarat, the youth generally have the attitude of turning to a business beyond a job. The recognition of a person who runs his own enterprise is not given to a person who lives by going for just a job. This attitude must change to solve unemployment in Kerala.