‘One in 4 youngsters in Tamil Nadu out of work, uneducated, untrained’

CHENNAI: One in four young people aged 15–29 in Tamil Nadu is not in employment, education or training (NEET), with the proportion among young women at 40%, against 10% among young men, according to the Tamil Nadu Handbook of Youth Opportunity released by the Future of India Foundation on Saturday.

The handbook’s full-year estimates put the share of young people in the NEET category at 24.5%. Though this has fallen from 34% in 2017–18, the gender divide remains stark.

The share among young women has declined from 49% to 40% over the same period, while the figure for young men stands at 10%. NEET refers to young people who are not working, studying or receiving training. The category does not necessarily mean they are unemployed or unwilling to work; it can also include those engaged in unpaid domestic or care work who are not in education or training.

The figures come despite Tamil Nadu having the country’s highest share of young graduates. About 52% of people aged 22–29 in the State hold a degree, according to the handbook. The report also notes that three-quarters of young men and women aged 15–21 are in education, raising questions about the transition from education to employment, particularly for young women.

Ruchi Gupta, executive director, Future of India Foundation, said during the launch discussion that young people needed access to jobs, a path to better pay and career progression. “Without opportunities to move ahead,” she argued, “workers may struggle to see a future in the jobs available to them.”

The handbook records an increase in women’s employment, but much of the growth has been in less secure forms of work. Among women aged 15 and above, the share in work rose by 14 percentage points to 46% between 2017–18 and 2025. Nearly 60% of that increase came from own-account, casual or unpaid family work.

The report also highlights a wage gap. Women in salaried jobs earn 73 paise for every rupee earned by men, while self-employed women earn 39 paise and women in casual work earn 49 paise.

The handbook assesses youth opportunities across all 38 districts of Tamil Nadu by bringing together nearly 180 indicators from 27 government databases, covering employment, education, skilling, economic opportunity, and participation and agency.