Job creation in the state surged this year even as nationally a drop of 21% was witnessed. A research report released by the industry body Assocham on Tuesday noted that four cities in the state have defied the national trend and registered high growth in job creation.
Jaipur figured among the few cities which saw new jobs being created in the first half of 2012. According to the Assocham (Associated Chambers of Commerce & Industry of India) report, Jaipur posted a 33% growth compared to previous year in job creation from January to June.
In the second half of the current year for which results were tabulated till December 15, cities such as Ajmer, Udaipur and Kota too saw creation of better job opportunities with 12%, 10% and 7% growth respectively. In contrast, in other cities job opportunities declined during the same period. (The figures for Jaipur are yet to be released)
“Jaipur is certainly among the fastest growing cities in the country. After high costs and saturation in Delhi-NCR, players from across all sectors of economy are eyeing Rajasthan and Jaipur in particular as the next big destination. So jobs are being created and the trend is here to stay for some more years,” said Anshul Gupta, who works for a consultancy firm based in Delhi.
Education and hospitality, as per the report findings, registered maximum openings this year. Information technology (IT), insurance and banking sectors too are growing in the state, and recruiting in bulk.
“As far as job generation in human resources development (HRD) is concerned, the report findings are true. Kota remains the hub of education institutes and creates lot of employment opportunities directly and indirectly. Also with several private universities, colleges and coaching institutes in the state, the sector is certainly one of biggest sources of employment,” said K L Jain, secretary general, Rajasthan Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Rajasthan boasts of nearly 200 engineering colleges, 120 MBA institutes and 40 polytechnics. Five new universities have come up this year in Jaipur, Kota and Udaipur with an average investment of Rs 200 crore.
The informal sector which makes a significant contribution to employment generation in state was not taken into consideration in the study. According to state government figures, an estimated 18.5 lakh enterprises in the informal sector generate employment for 29 lakh workers. Over 70% of these enterprises are involved in activities related to trade, manufacturing and repair.
However, lack of employment generation in the manufacturing sector remains an area of concern for the state government. The state figures are much lower than the national average. The National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) revealed that the contribution of manufacturing sector is only 6% of the state’s gross domestic production.
src: TOI