Tamil Nadu Congress chief targets Centre over youth jobs, unemployment

Accusing the Centre of "unfulfilled promises and economic betrayal," Tamil Nadu Congress president Manickam Tagore on Sunday alleged that despite promises of generating two crore jobs annually, youth unemployment across the nation has reached alarming levels.

Citing recent NITI Aayog and official labor surveys, Tagore, in a statement, claimed that the younger generation would hold the Prime Minister Narendra Modi regime accountable for destroying their livelihoods.

"The Modi government, which has been in power since 2014, came to office by making empty promises to the youth that it would create two crore jobs annually... even after 12 years in power, it has failed to fulfill these promises. According to its pledge over 12 years, 24 crore jobs should have been provided. Instead, unemployment in the country is raging at levels unseen in 45 years."

Youth unemployment figures

He said a report released by NITI Aayog in August 2026 officially revealed that 8.7 crore youth aged between 15 and 29 are stranded without education, employment, or vocational training, while 79.6 crore individuals have been pushed out of the labor force altogether.

"Shocking figures reveal that only 8.25 per cent of educated graduates have secured jobs commensurate with their qualifications, while unemployment among women graduates stands at 20.4 per cent, exposing the true face of the Modi government's publicity-driven politics", he alleged.

The Congress leader said while NEET shatters medical dreams on one hand, a socio-economic crisis leaves youth stranded on the streets without access to jobs on the other.

District-level employment concerns

The Virudhunagar MP also said that the district-level Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report released by the Ministry of Statistics in September 2026 further lays bare this dismal situation at the local level.

"In over 250 districts across the nation, more than 25 per cent of youth are idling without education or employment", he said adding "overall, in nearly 23.7 per cent of the surveyed districts, over 30 per cent of the youth are without any employment opportunities, leaving their future in jeopardy".

Alleging that administrative failure and neglect by the Modi government have severely impacted Tamil Nadu as well, he claimed that "in Madurai, a premier city in southern Tamil Nadu, the unemployment rate has surged to 7.0 per cent".

Tamil Nadu faces employment challenges

"Youth are left without formal job opportunities and are losing their livelihoods in districts across the state, including Tiruchirappalli (23.9 per cent), Madurai (23.8 per cent), and Chennai (22.4 per cent)," he said adding "lacking stable salaried employment in rural Tamil Nadu, 30.4 per cent of households are forced to rely on informal daily-wage labor.

Manickam Tagore also alleged that the Union government, which imposes the New Education Policy under the pretext of providing vocational training, has failed on the ground to create dignified employment opportunities for them.