Skill-mapping survey in East Delhi slum clusters finds 26 pc of respondents unemployed

A skill-mapping survey commissioned by the Delhi government in East Delhi slum clusters has found over 26 per cent of respondents are unemployed, with most of them attributing the lack of jobs to the pandemic.The survey commissioned by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics was conducted by an NGO in August-September.

A skill-mapping survey commissioned by the Delhi government in East Delhi slum clusters has found over 26 per cent of respondents are unemployed, with most of them attributing the lack of jobs to the pandemic.

The survey commissioned by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics was conducted by an NGO in August-September. It covered 20,414 respondents in 10 slum clusters.

''Out of total respondents, 12,104 persons or 59.29 per cent were in the most economically active age group. Unfortunately, 3,218 persons or 26.58 per cent of them were unemployed,'' the survey report read.

Nearly 48 per cent of the households in the slums were found to be living in very ''deprived'' conditions as their average monthly consumer expenditure was less than Rs 10,000. The household size was approximately five persons per household, it stated.

Among the unemployed respondents, 24 per cent felt the lack of jobs was pandemic-related. Other major reasons cited for unemployment were lack of skills (22 per cent), recession in work and business (19 per cent), and childcare responsibilities, the report stated.

Only 7.66 per cent of the respondents had acquired skills through informal means whereas a massive 92.34 per cent had no such exposure, it said.

A majority of those who acquired working-level skills through different informal or non-formal means felt that getting certified by a competent authority would ensure a better prospect for them, the report added.

In total, 63 per cent of the respondents were found to be interested in receiving skill training, it showed.

Just six per cent of the respondents were found to have technical degrees, the report said.

''The study reveals that the infrastructure available for catering to the skill needs of the state is quite insufficient for the ever-increasing number of aspirants,'' it said.

It has been observed that self-development skills, including reading and writing in Hindi and English, working knowledge of computers, internet surfing and learning simple arithmetic are in huge demand, the report noted.

A huge demand was also noticed for pure technical skills appropriate for job roles in fields like beauty and wellness, information technology and IT-enabled services, textiles, handloom and apparels, artisanship, craftsmanship, handicrafts, electricals, power and electronics, office and business-related work and plumbing among others.

The report stated that nearly 60 per cent of the respondents looking for skill training were ready to spend at least 10 hours a week for it, and a skill training centre within a periphery of one kilometre of the slum clusters will be the most suitable one for maximum respondents, it added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)