NEW DELHI,14 March 2026 : The hill state of Himachal Pradesh today has the highest youth unemployment rate in the country. Nearly one in three young people between 15 and 29 has no work. Yet the state government’s answer to this crisis isn’t permanent jobs – not unlike the gig-style work that has swept urban India. These jobs are temporary, low-paying, outsourced work, with no security or future. And they’re claiming it as employment.
In its investigation based on RTI replies, Assembly records and the state employment data, the Reporters’ Collective says the public machinery in Himachal Pradesh depends on nearly 34,000 outsourced workers and contractual employees. Then there are cases where 53,000 candidates paid ₹4.5 crore in exam fees for 29 posts. Not one appointment was made.
Exams have been delayed. Recruitment advertisements have expired. And when MLAs asked basic questions about vacancies and timelines, the government’s answer, repeatedly, was: “information is still being collected.”
The government doesn’t seem to know how many people it employs. But it knows exactly how many people are looking for work: over 6.75 lakh on live registers.
Picture credit social media
