Kumaraswamy admits to job crisis, suggests government staff retire earlier

Union minister H D Kumaraswamy admitted on Friday that the country is facing a job crisis, especially among engineering graduates. The admission came amid a discussion held with youth in Bengaluru on Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment scams.

“Thousands of engineering graduates do not have jobs. We talk about creating lakhs of jobs, but I have seen the ground reality,” the Union minister of heavy industries said. He also proposed a system where government employees retire after 15 to 20 years of service instead of the current 35 years to create jobs for youth.

“Every morning, dozens of engineers approach me seeking jobs. There are electronic engineers, computer engineers, mechanical engineers and AI engineers. Around 50 of these engineering graduates approach me every day—some of them are from villages and have studied after paying large donations to colleges,” Kumaraswamy said.

“In the private sector, there are ‘hire and fire’ type of policies where you have employment for six to seven months and are then sent out. In the government sector, there is a shortage of nearly 2.5 lakh people. I am saying this frankly,” he said.

‘State government should recruit every year’

The former Karnataka chief minister and leader of the Janata Dal (Secular) said, at the state level, every January, the government must recruit for its 34 departments. This should be done in a time-bound manner through the KPSC, on the lines of Union Public Service Commission recruitments, he added.

Kumaraswamy said there were many hurdles to clearing up the recruitment mess in the KPSC. “A lot of time is being wasted. The focus is now entirely on the veterinary doctors’ recruitment fraud, and this will go on for three to four months until people lose interest in it,” he said.

“We will see what happens in the 2028 elections. I am not in a position to implement your suggestions at present. But if I am elected in 2028, I promise to implement changes,” he said.

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1 government job in every family?

Kumaraswamy suggested the reduction of service tenures of government employees to create more opportunities for unemployed youth in order to ensure that every family has access to at least one government job.

“Think about this idea. Once a person enters government service, they typically remain in the job for around 35 years. What if we reduce that period to 10, 15 or 20 years, to ensure that every family gets at least one government job? This could help create opportunities for many more people,” he said.

Under the model, employees who complete their defined tenure would be eligible for pension and retirement benefits, and this would expand access to government employment and contribute to tackling unemployment, he added.

“If I get an opportunity in the future, I intend to explore the possibility of implementing such a plan. I am thinking about whether an approach like this could be developed to create employment opportunities for young people. In my view, every household should have at least one government job. I am placing this idea before the people so that it can be discussed publicly,” he said.

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“Unemployment is growing at an alarming rate, and the system is failing to provide deserving candidates with adequate opportunities in government service. I am thinking seriously about possible solutions. Please remember this proposal, discuss it and share opinions,” he said.

Serious allegations: On KPSC scam

The Union minister said the KPSC had transformed into a den of corruption and had moved away from its purpose of identifying eligible candidates for state jobs through transparent and impartial processes.

“There are serious allegations of jobs being sold for money, and those entrusted with the responsibility of conducting recruitment are themselves facing questions over their conduct,” Kumaraswamy said.

During the interaction, many KPSC job aspirants shared their experiences and grievances against examination procedures, errors in question papers, alleged tampering with OMR answer sheets and repeated disruptions to recruitment schedules.