It happens rarely in a job starved market that recruiters come with job ready, only to return back with no takers. But it was so apparent during first of its kind level State level Job Fair concluded on Sunday.
Though not significant in numbers, the trend prompted labour Minister to admit that the State had not yet recovered from dented perception and image of not a good place to work in, especially in rural areas.
“I have no hesitation to admit that high degree of qualification demanding recruiters might have returned empty handed from State level Dattopant Thengadi Job Fair. And perception about the State as a workplace is undoubtedly responsible for it,” said labour and Employment Department Minister Raj Paliwar on Sunday.
It was thrilling to see that Jharkhand organised first of its kind of job fair on such a large scale, where some 70 companies, both from State and other parts of the country came up with more than 6,000 ready to offer jobs. labour and Employment Department claims that anywhere between 80,000-1,00,000 visitors in total, mainly job-seekers visited ITI Ground in Hehal during Saturday-Sunday, where the Fair was organised.
At the same time, the Fair also exposed the fact that around a dozen companies and institutions which had brought higher degree of qualification demanding jobs like management trainees, trainee doctors or communication officers, had to return empty handed as there were no takers of such jobs.
“We need to understand one thing clear, that these kinds of degree holders are rare at employment exchanges. MBBS or MBA degree holders don’t bother to get listed at employment exchanges even for Government records. Then comes the perception about these job fairs, anywhere in the country.
Those degree holders nowhere in the country could have ever expected that a job fair could bring one job suitable to them. These job fairs presumably bring general kind of degree requiring jobs like simple graduate or maximum of entry level technical degrees. But we appeared with jobs demanding higher degrees, too. It was the first time, so not having them in job fair was not something unexpected,” said Paliwar.
However, there is a perception about workplace too. Around half of the doctors given joining letter in June last year have either quit or have put their papers to get them released in days to come. Similarly, around half of over 100 Excise Department professionals of grade-III recruited last year have resigned.
“It is true that Jharkhand has been considered a vulnerable place to work, and rightly so, due to Naxal related problems and other living conditions. Political masters prior to us never appeared paying attention to this problem, and we are paying for it. But we are taking steps consistently to change this perception. We need to evaluate work conditions in other states at similar profile and we are doing it. Change is just round the corner,” said Paliwar.
Excise Department Commissioner Vinod Shanker Singh also came up with similar admissions that working and living conditions were a major factor for job-quits in the State. “It is true that there are issues related to life-threats on job and electricity to water to accommodation issues off the job. That is why professionals prefer bigger cities or other states on similar profiles. But situation is changing now, and changing rapidly,” said Singh.